Zipline and adventure tours in Kaikōura

6 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Inland from the coast lie farmland, bush and the Seaward Kaikōura Range. The tours on this page use that country: a hill farm with ziplines, river valleys for llama walks and quad bikes, and a kitchen garden. They are worth keeping in mind for a day when the sea is too rough for the boats.

Ziplines on Rakanui Station

EcoZip Adventures runs its zipline course on Rakanui Station, a working farm of 3,000 acres. The trip starts with a drive from West End to the Kaikōura airfield, then a guided 4x4 ride across the farm in a Unimog, through valleys and across rivers. After a short walk through the bush you reach the first platform. Five dual ziplines, between 250 and 620 metres long, take you back down the hill, with two lines side by side so you can zip next to a friend. In total the lines cover about 2.2 kilometres. Plan on three and a half hours from pickup to drop-off.

The limits are about weight. You need to weigh between 30 and 125 kg. Anyone aged 15 or under has to zip with a paying adult in the same booking, and an adult signs for anyone under 18. Non-zipping spectators are not allowed. The course runs all year. In season you can help plant trees as part of the conservation side of the trip.

Reviewers praise the guides, the bumpy ride up and the short walks between the lines. The criticism is mild: a few found it over too quickly, and those who went in rain and cloud got cold and wet. Bring a rain jacket and warm layers, especially in winter, when the average daytime high in Kaikōura is about 11 to 12 °C. A phone bungy for filming is not part of the tour.

Walking with llamas

Kaikoura Llama Trekking runs the llama treks. On the half-day trek you meet at the small clock tower in the main car park on West End, opposite the council offices and museum. Each guest leads a llama, which carries your things in two saddle bags. The route follows the beaches and boardwalk around the bay towards the peninsula, with about 20 minutes to watch the fur seals and stories about the 2016 earthquake along the way. Tea, coffee and snacks are included, and groups have up to eight people.

The shorter taster trek lasts one hour on the trail and starts at 12 Kowhai Ford Road. It follows the banks and bed of the Kowhai River into protected woodland, with at most five guests, and the operator says about 80 percent of the trail is wheelchair accessible. On both treks children under 4 come free in a backpack carrier.

Quad bikes to Haumuri Bluffs

The quad tour starts at Glenstrae Farm, about 20 minutes south of Kaikōura, and the listing does not mention transport from town. After practice on a small training course you ride through bush and hill country, cross a stream and reach the seals at the Haumuri Bluffs, with tea and cookies at a hut along the way. Riders must be at least 16. Younger guests travel as passengers in the guide's vehicle, and the tour is not open to pregnant women. Helmets and wet-weather gear are provided, and boots can be borrowed. Its listing gives two different durations, so confirm the timing before you plan the rest of the day.

A cooking class at Hapuku Kitchen

Hapuku Kitchen is run by Chris and Fiona. The class begins with coffee or tea and baking, followed by a walk through the garden to pick and forage. You then cook a full spread of dishes from scratch with Fiona and sit down to eat together, with local wine, craft beer or homemade sodas. The 9:00 class ends with lunch; the 13:30 class ends with tasting plates in the late afternoon. The menu is decided by the season, not in advance, and vegetarian and gluten-free diets can be catered for.

Classes take at most eight guests, from 12 years. Transport is not included, but there is parking on site. You take the recipes home.

Helicopter and jet boat

For a bigger day out, Kaikōura Helicopters combines a flight with a jet boat ride. You take off from 16 West End and fly south over the peninsula and the Hundalee Hills to the Hurunui River, where a jet boat runs through the river gorge. The return flight passes the mouth of the Hurunui. The trip is private for two to six people, takes about two hours and is open from 8 years; it is not recommended for anyone with a spinal injury. If the weather stops it, the operator offers a new date.

Fitting it into a day

The zipline and the half-day llama trek each take about three and a half hours, so you can do both in one day if you start early. The cooking class offers a morning session with lunch or an afternoon one with tasting plates, which fits around a whale-watching trip in the other half of the day. If the sea is calm, keep it for the boats and move the land tours to the windy days.

Free alternatives in the hills

Not every outing needs a booking. The Hinau Track is an easy 45-minute loop at the Mt Fyffe car park, about 15 kilometres from town, and the Department of Conservation describes it as suitable for families. From the same car park, a climb of about an hour leads to a lookout on Mt Fyffe. Take a windproof jacket even on a fine day. For more ideas, see things to do in Kaikōura, and for a clear evening, our page on stargazing in Kaikōura.