Kaikōura (/kaɪˈkɔːrə/; Māori pronunciation: [kaiˈkoːuɾa]) is a town on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand, located on State Highway 1, 180 kilometres (110 mi) north of Christchurch.

The name of the battle comes from a threat made by Rerewaka, one of the Kaikōura chiefs, who said he would slit Te Rauparaha's belly with a shark tooth (niho maaka) if he came south.

In 1857, the New Zealand Government made an offer for land between the Ashley and Waiau Uwha rivers for 200 pounds which was signed by Ngāi Tahu.

These reserves were reduced after 1900 when the New Zealand government compulsorily acquired further land for the proposed railway and "scenic" purposes.

[4] In 1962 the roll-on/roll-off car ferry between Wellington and Picton increased travel between the North and South Islands, bringing more visitors to Kaikōura.

One thousand tourists and hundreds of residents were stranded in Kaikōura after the earthquake cut off train and vehicle access.

[19] 1700 construction workers completed two million man hours to repair the quake-damaged route along State Highway 1 after the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake.

[20] The repairs included fixing almost 200 kilometres (120 mi) of damaged road and a similar length of railway line.

[37] In addition to ecotourism activities in the town such as whale, seal and bird watching, further tourism opportunities are under development.

[44] The economy of the town now has a significant reliance on the visitors who come to experience the biodiversity of the local region, particularly the ocean.

The canyon has been described as a "bio-diversity hotspot", where upwelling of currents from the deep ocean provide feeding grounds along the Kaikōura coast for a diverse range of seabirds and marine mammals.

[47] The work of the society led to the passing of the Kaikōura (Te Tai o Marokura) Marine Management Act in August 2014.

It also recognised taiapure (traditional Māori fishing grounds which include areas of special cultural or spiritual significance).

[56][57] A wide variety of marine mammals can be seen in the Kaikōura region, including whales, dolphins, and New Zealand fur seals.

[55] New Zealand has an unusually high diversity of shags, penguins, petrels and albatross species, leading to claims that the country is the "seabird capital of the world".

[66] From a local conservation perspective, particularly notable seabirds in the Kaikōura region include the Hutton's shearwater, the Red-billed gull, and the Little penguin.

The Kowhai Valley and Shearwater Stream Important Bird Area contains the only two remaining alpine breeding colonies.

[70][71] In contrast, there has been an increase in the population of Red-billed gulls at the breeding colony at Otago Peninsula, where there is control of mammalian predators.

[79][80] In April 2022, the Mayor of Kaikōura said that the dark-sky reserve initiative had the full support of the council, and would be a boost to tourist numbers, especially during the winter period.

[85] The Trust plans to apply for the Kaikōura township to be recognised with international dark sky community status.

This has left Kaikōura better placed financially in 2021 than many councils, as they do not have to replace these in the next 30 years as part of their long term planning.

The new building provides space for general practice, physiotherapy, dental, optometry as well as maternity, radiology and medical/trauma stabilisation and resuscitation facilities.

A third floor was approved by the Kaikōura District Council in 2011 and the cost rose which led to complaints from rate payers and submissions to the Long Term Plan in 2012 requesting restraint in spending.

[100] Kaikōura is served by the Coastal Pacific long-distance passenger train, formerly called the TranzCoastal, which connected the town with Christchurch to the south, Picton and the Cook Strait ferries to the north.

The Main North Line (Picton to Christchurch, passing through Kaikōura) suffered damage in the November 2016 earthquake and was closed for repairs, re-opening to freight traffic on 15 September 2017.

The main newspapers for Kaikōura are the Wednesday weekly Kaikoura Star and Monday to Friday late morning daily The Marlborough Express.

[103] The building was damaged beyond repair in the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake, but community fundraising efforts resulted in the construction of a new cinema and performance venue on the site, retaining the 1934 art deco façade.

[104][105][106] After a $3.6 million restoration project, the building was re-opened in November 2020 as the Mayfair Arts and Culture Centre Te Whare Toi ō Kaikōura.

The club was first established in 1914 with the first Kaikōura Trotting Cup won by a horse called Kintail owned by Albert Edgar and trained by Billie Honeybone.

[112] In 2021, the Kaikōura Trotting Cup weekend, normally held in early November was transferred to Addington Raceway in Christchurch due to COVID-19 restrictions.