Kaikōura Cultural Artwork Trail

Toi Māori on the highway

Along the 60km scenic stretch of State Highway 1 from Oaro to Waiau Toa (Clarence River), experience this unique art trail centred around seven safe stopping places. Pull over to see murals, pouwhenua and tekoteko (carved pillars), beautiful native planting and information panels that share the rich stories of the hapū of Kaikōura.

View on map

Facilities

The story

The creation of the mahi toi (art) along Kaikōura’s coastline was part of the massive rebuild after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2016 caused major damage and uplift to the Kaikōura township and coast. The North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery project restored transport networks and installed engineering solutions for future resilience. This rebuild included consultation with local Māori representatives in the Cultural Advisory Group, which resulted in a plan to tell the stories and history of local hapū and iwi, Waitaha, Ngāti Māmoe, Ngāti Kurī and Ngāi Tahu through art.

Master carvers Riki Manuel (Ngāti Porou) and Fayne Robinson (Ngāi Tahu) created four pouwhenua (large carved pillars) and six tekoteko (small carved pillars). The trail also features vapour-blasted murals, laser-cut steel sculptures, native plantings and information panels designed in partnership with Ariki Creative. The coast is now adorned with memories, as the history of mana whenua is made visible.

The artwork tells the stories of Māori gods, including the origin story of how Māui rested his foot on the Kaikōura peninsula as he pulled the fish that became Te-Ika-a-Māui (North Island) out of the moana (sea). The artworks also share tangata stories and whakapapa (genealogy) from the peoples of Waitaha, Ngāti Māmoe and the Ngāti Kurī hapū of Ngāi Tahu who successively settled around the Kaikōura coast over the past 800 years.

See and do

There are seven safe stopping areas along the Cultural Artwork Trail. These are places to take a break, enjoy the views and learn the special history and cultural significance of this area. The list of safe stopping points below begins in the south and heads north.

Ōkiwi Bay references the Haumakariri Spring and tōtara trees used for waka building and has a pou representing Ngāti Māmoe ancestor, Hinerongo.
Paparoa Point tells the story of Paikea, the whale rider, and features a pou representing Tūteurutira, with stairs displaying his whakapapa.
Ōhau Point is themed around its famous seal colony, and the local rock daisy unique to this area.
Te Ana Pōuri has a large compass design with each point offering Māori place names or wind directions.
Rākautara, home to the iconic Nins Bin food stop, also features path designs that represent kai moana (seafood) and Māui fishing up the North Island.
Raramai focuses on kaitiakitanga (guardianship), aihe (dolphins) and features a pou representing chief Te Ruahikhiki.
Toka-Ānau tells the story of whaling, whale watching and Māori and European whalers working side by side. See whaling pots and upright harpoon sculptures. A little further south at an informal stopping area in Oaro is a pou representing Hinekura.

There are further artworks on display as you drive through the Kaikōura coast:

The Westend Rail Bridge’s colourful murals, designed with local artist, Brett Pettit, tell the story of the first Māori arrivals to the region.
A wooden palisade featuring eight wooden tekoteko covers the retaining wall south of Kahutara River Bridge, acknowledging the historic pā site about Peketā.
North and south of Kaikōura you’ll find concrete story walls with vapour-blasted murals that tell the creation story as told by Matiaha Tiramorehu in 1849.