FYFFE HOUSE HISTORIC AREA.

Fyffe House is the oldest house in Kaikoura.

The historic area which this page describes is a microcosm of New Zealand history. The area was first settled by Maori who hunted seals or birds (including Moa), fished, and grew crops of kumera in selected sites. The Maori built kainga (villages) and fortified pah. Pakeha were first attracted by whales which came close to the coast. The first whaling station in the area, built in 1842 just behind Fyffe House was a shore based station called the Waiopuka. Robert Fyfe the owner and his men hunted the Southern Right and Humpback whales in open whale boats. It did not take them long to deplete the stocks so sheep farming and fishing became more important than whaling. With a growing community the area became a port and with further development it became the town of today.

In front of Fyffe House are the foundations of the Pier Hotel (built 1885) and wharf store buildings. When the new wharf was built in 1909 the hotel was shifted to it’s present site .

1.This sea wall could be the earliest surviving concrete structure in New Zealand. It was built by George Fyffe circa 1850's.
2. This natural rock pool was enlarged to be a bathing area in the 1880's. The post is all that remains of the bath House. Only accessible at low tide, it is a nice place for a soak if the weather is good.
3. The fireplace and concrete step are all that remain of the Bonded Warehouse. The old wharf to the east of the chimney was the main port. Goods would only be released from the Bonded Warehouse when custom duty had been paid. The Bonded Warehouse was built around 1869.
4. The sea has always been important to Kaikoura. In 1881, after a government grant of 1000 pounds, the wharf was completed. This wharf replaced an earlier wharf built by George Fyffe. The wharf was the main port of Kaikoura. However by 1907 a new wharf was needed and so the new wharf was constructed nearer the town and was opened in 1909.
5. Whale bone posts. These two whale bone posts are all that remain of a much larger fence. Whale bone was used by the early Pakeha settlers as there was no suitable trees close by.
6. These fence posts mark the boundary of the old vegetable garden. The lean on the posts is due to slippage of he ground. The posts have been here since the first decade of the 20th Century.
7. The hill behind Fyffe House is known as Beacon Hill. There was a tall marker on the top used as a guide for local shipping.
8. At the north western end of Armers Beach (originally Waiopuka Beach) can be seen terracing from Maori earthworks. These are the remains of defensive palisades and trenches.
9. If you look carefully when the tide is out you will see the remains of wooden posts. They are connected with Kaikoura’s early sheep industry. Sheep were brought here for shearing or rendering down for tallow on the flat behind the beach.
10. Early Pakeha graves dating from the whaling days. There are no headstones for these graves, all that remains are a mortised post and whale bones. It appears that the whale bones were grave markers. Just to the north of the graves an early type of rose can be seen growing.
11. Iron mooring rings. These were in use when the old wharf was the port area of Kaikoura. Large vessels would moor here the most famous being the S.S. Wakatu shown below. .

This is the view of the Waiopuka whaling station site established by Robert Fyffe in 1842.This site was chosen because it had fresh water, a sandy beach to launch the whaleboats, flat rocks on which to flense the whales and the hills of the peninsula provided a lookout.

Map of Historic Area