
The Hampton’s – Review, Luxury B&B accommodation, Kaikoura, New Zealand
The Hampton’s Kaikoura – Review
This is a B&B review of the Hampton’s Kaikoura – A luxury B&B in Kaikoura, New Zealand
Kaikoura was the first stop after visiting the very friendly city of Christchurch. We spotted The Hampton’s Kaikoura on the Booking.com app which is one of my first-calls when booking accommodation online. The pictures looked amazing and the reviews were very positive. It’s quite a drive from Christchurch to Kaikoura but it is worth it when you have good accommodation.
On arriving we met Patrick the owner and he showed us to our room. Wow…. When I saw the room and view on checking in I was blown away. Patrick brought us through the features of the room plus advised us on the route for the local peninsula walk (see below).
The Hampton’s Kaikoura overlooks the coastal front of Kaikoura village, and you have amazing sea views.
The room was amazingly comfortable with cable TV, free WiFi, tea and coffee making facilities plus fresh home-made cookies. The view as mentioned was amazing and there was a small terrace/veranda outside if you wanted to enjoy the sun. We were there in New Zealand’s winter, so that was not always an option.
The bathroom included a very nice power shower and was well appointed. There was also underfloor heating in the shower which was a very nice feature.
About KaiKoura
Kaikoura is a few hours from Christchurch and is a small scenic town right on the coast. Kaikoura has so much to offer, and with the Hampton’s Kaikoura being so central, you are spoiled for choice. I recommend doing the Kaikoura peninsula walkway, where you can see a huge seal colony. The looped walk along the peninsula is about 13-14km and will take you about 3 hours to complete taking it at a steady pace. There is also a very good tourist information centre in the middle of the town which has information on the many whale-watching excursions you can enjoy from Kaikoura. Unfortunately we visited Kaikoura in the Winter so the trips to watch whales were not really an option.
It seems to be a town with a real homely feel, and if I was thinking of moving anywhere in the world it would be either to Kaikoura or Te Anau on the other coast. Both towns just captivated me when I visited them.
If you are looking for somewhere to eat in Kaikoura I would certainly recommend The Whaler which is at 49 The West End and only a few minutes walk from the Hamptons. The fish and chips were excellent and we enjoyed watching the live Rugby League.
The breakfast at the Hamilton’s was delicious and more than enough for me. Overall a wonderful place to stay and worthy of such praise. Thank you again to our hosts Patrick and Marie Claire.
Address:
The Hampton’s
138 Esplanade
KAIKOURA
New Zealand
The Hampton’s, Kaikoura – Location Map:
The Hampton’s, 138 Esplanade, KAIKOURA, New Zealand
The Kaikoura Peninsula Walk
Things to do in Kaikoura
We were only in Kaikoura for one day but there is a lot to enjoy. If you are here during the summer you can enjoy a lot more, including whale watching. In the winter, the nicest thing to do is the Kaikoura Peninsula Walk (see the more southerly marker on the map below).
The walking trail crosses the peninsula south of Kaikoura. You can walk along the clifftop, with excellent views of the Seaward Kaikoura Range. You also get stunning views of the ocean and coastline, towards South Bay. The Peninsula walkway then returns to the township via South Bay and a section called ‘Toms Track’.
Near Point Kean car park, there are signs warning that seals may be in the area. Most of the seals which are in the car park are males. These seals may appear to be harmless but may become aggressive if disturbed. These are wild animals and should be left alone, A male seal, especially an irritated one, can inflict a nasty, infectious bite. Observe from a distance and respect their territory.
Be advised that the Marine Mammals Protection Act states that you MUST NOT disturb the seals. Stay at least 20m away!
There are many more seals on the rocks and these are normally the females and their pups. As you know, female animals will defend their young so again, remain a distance back.
Photography on the Kaikoura Peninsula Walk
As you get further into the talk you will come to a section which gives you a vista of the sea from the cliff top. I recommend that you look down onto the rocks. The major seal colony is here – there are hundreds of seals on those rocks. If you are a photographer, a 300mm lens will get you some great shots of the seal activity.
There are also some great birds in the area. Again, photographers, get the camera ready! You can enjoy a very large shearwater colony which is protected. There are also albatross, shags and gulls.
I got a photo of what I think is a rare ‘Cirl Bunting’. Apparently this is one of the rarest of New Zealand’s introduced species. They can be elusive on the peninsula walk but it might have been a Yellowhammer which I saw!
The Kaikoura peninsula walkways is denoted by distinctive marker posts and interpretation signs. This walk is a decent walk and you should really set aside a few hours, perhaps 3 hours, to fully enjoy the complete walk.
The Hampton’s Kaikoura, Overall Review
Based on the shanemcdonald.ie rating scale which reviews 10 categories and scoring 10 points per category.
Overall Score : 95%
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Overall Score for The Hampton's, Kaikoura
Getting to Kaikoura
Kaikoura lies around midway between the towns of Picton (154 km) and Christchurch (183 km). This is off SH1 on the east coast of the South Island. Regular bus and train services pass through Kaikoura.
Kaikoura Tourist Information
For more information on Kaikoura and the activities you can enjoy in the area, please see the tourist information details below.
Kaikoura i-SITE Visitor Information Centre
Phone: +64 3 319 5641
Email: info@kaikoura.co.nz
Address: West End, Kaikoura
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