Fyffe House at Wai o puka
Survivor of Kaikōura’s whaling past
Fyffe House sits within Wai o puka, an area with a long history of Māori settlement. Built on piles of whale vertebrae, this house is a rare remnant of the whaling industry and reveals the lives of early European families in the area. Explore the house, discover vivid stories of the people who have lived there and check out the animated stories gifted by Ngāti Kurī.
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The story
Fyffe House lies on an area of cultural significance that has been occupied by Māori for many centuries. Wai o puka refers to the abundant puka (shining broadleaf) and nearby freshwater spring. Like the wider region of Kaikōura, it is a significant cultural landscape, which has yielded archaeological material including a moa egg. In 2002, Pou Tangaroa, named for the God of the Sea and carved by Ngāti Kurī who are mana whenua over this area, was installed in a commanding position on the high ground behind the house to represent the area’s dual heritage.
Fyffe House was literally built on the back of whaling—the initial single-storey cottage, which became the wing of a larger home, rests on piles made from the vertebrae of a mighty tohorā (southern right whale). It was built in the 1840s as part of the Waiopuka whaling station, established at Jimmy Armers beach by Robert Fyfe. Fyfe’s cousin George Fyffe took over the business in 1855, and he and his wife Katherine likely extended the house to its current form. Two more families lived in the house; the Goodalls and the Lows. As whaling declined, the Fyffe House families sought to make a living through fishing, trading and farming.
The Low family lived in the house from 1920 until 1980. The last occupant, George Low, left the house to the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (now Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga) who have restored the house and now care for it.
See and do
When you visit, you’ll stand on land that has a history dating back centuries to the arrival of tangata whenua. Fyffe House is Kaikōura’s oldest building, and the only surviving building from the whaling industry in the 1830s-40s. Gain valuable insights into the full history of the place, including Māori use of the area, the whaling industry, and a vivid sense of the lives of three families who inhabited the house between 1844 and 1980.
The interactive stories, gifted by Ngāti Kurī of Ngāi Tahu, bring to life the experiences of their ancestors who assumed control of the area from the earlier Waitaha and Ngāti Māmoe tribes in the 1700s.
Explore the house, which is still furnished as a family home, and discover the highs and lows of life onsite. You can also take a self-guided audio tour, which reveals further stories of whaling, fishing, the Pier Hotel and nearby wharf.
With its stunning outlook over the bay, this is the perfect spot to bring a picnic to enjoy on the lawns and outdoor tables. Fyffe House is also a key viewing and photography location for the Kaikōura Dark Sky Sanctuary.
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