Latest news with #Kaikoura
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Kaikōura cruise visits expected to halve this summer
A cruise ship berthed off the coastline at Kaikōura. Photo: LDR / David Hill / North Canterbury News Economic uncertainty and rising costs have been cited as reasons for fewer cruise ships planning to visit Kaikōura this summer. Just five cruise ships are scheduled to visit Kaikōura during December, January and February, down from 11 last summer and 16 in summer 2023/24. "There's lots of reasons. Global uncertainty, Government changes and it has led to less cruise ships planning to come this season," Destination Kaikōura manager Lisa Bond said. "But everything has a cycle. This year we are down to five, but in two years we might be back to 13." She said cruise ship companies planned their schedules 18 months or two years ahead, so the global uncertainty was big a factor. But she noted cruise ship schedules are subject to change, depending on weather and other factors. Destination Kaikōura deputy chairperson Lynette Buurman said the ability to attract cruise ships has not been helped by Environment Canterbury increasing its berthage fees. As Kaikōura has small wharves, cruise ships anchor off the coast and bring tourists into the wharf by tender boats. An Environment Canterbury spokesperson said berthage fees depend on the size of the ship, ranging from $7666 for ships less than 100 metres to $16,866 for ships 200 metres or more. Cancellation fees also apply. Kaikōura's pristine coastline. Photo: LDR / David Hill / North Canterbury News It covers the costs of chart updates, operation and maintenance of navigation aids, and operation and maintenance of safety management systems. The berthage fees have not changed in the last 12 months, the spokesperson said. Other tourist hot spots are also experiencing sharp declines in cruise ship bookings. Bay of Islands' cruise ship bookings for the 2025/26 season have almost halved from their peak two years ago, from 92 to 47. A cruise ship representative told Local Democracy that cost increases had contributed to the drop. Bond said Kaikōura enjoyed a busy summer and autumn, while King's Birthday weekend, Matariki weekend and the July school holidays brought strong numbers of visitors to the town. April was a particularly strong month, with the spend from domestic visitors up 15 percent compared to last year, while accommodation bookings were up 7 percent. Strong domestic support continued in May, with the spend up 13 percent and guest nights up 14 percent compared to May 2024. Bond said the bulk of domestic visitors come from Canterbury, with visitor numbers from Auckland and Wellington also up. There has also been growth in international visitors, according to visitor data. International visitor spend, excluding accommodation (which is now pre-paid), is up 13 percent, which suggests either a higher average spend or an increase in day visits. A busy few months are expected, with the Kaikōura Whale Run and the Kaikōura Hop in September, followed by the school holidays, the Mountains to Sea Marathon and Labour Weekend in October, and the Kaikōura Trotting Cup in November, before summer gets into full swing. Destination Kaikōura is a partnership between the Kaikōura District Council and local tourism operators.
RNZ News
15-07-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Kaikōura considers new rules for cats
Kaikōura District Council will draft a new animal control bylaw with a section for cats. File photo Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon A new bylaw is being proposed to protect Kaikōura's native birds and improve the wellbeing of cats. With the Kaikōura District Council's dog control bylaw due to be reviewed, the council has decided to draft a new animal control bylaw with a section for cats. The decision follows calls from local conservationists to help protect banded dotterels / pohowera, which nests along the Kaikōura coastline. The birds come under threat from predators, including stray and feral cats, during nesting season. Alongside the new bylaw, the council will partner with the SPCA to promote subsidised desexing and microchipping of cats. Council chief executive Will Doughty said the new bylaw will be developed over the next 18 months and will be subject to consultation. "We've looked at what's been done in other councils and we found this is now becoming a lot more mainstream. "There are benefits from a cat health perspective and it's good from a wider environmental perspective, so it goes beyond just the protecting the birds. "But the big thing is in the education." A dotterel in full flight. Photo: Ailsa McGilvary-Howard The council is working with Environment Canterbury and the Department of Conservation to look at restrictions on nesting sites. The dotterel nesting season runs from September to December, with the birds under threat from dogs, vehicles and human activity, as well as cats. Doughty said the subsidised desexing and microchipping programme will receive ratepayer funding from the council's environmental projects fund. Kaikōura couple Ailsa McGilvary-Howard and Ted Howard made an appeal to a council workshop in March to help protect the dotterels. While the dotterel can be found on braided rivers and coastlines in other parts of the South Island, Kaikōura is like "a whirlpool" which sucks birds in because there appears to be plenty of resources, McGilvary-Howard said. The beach areas with the most dotterel nesting sites are at South Bay between the Coastguard and The Caves, and further north between the West End shopping area and the New World supermarket. McGilvary-Howard has been monitoring dotterel nests on the Kaikōura coastline voluntarily for more than a decade and completed a self-funded banded dotterel study in 2016. A banded dotterel mother and chick. Photo: Ailsa McGilvary-Howard Howard monitors the northern section, and said around 150 eggs were laid this season, with around 40 hatching, but just one chick survived. A further four chicks survived at South Bay, but more adult birds were lost to predator attacks. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Otago Daily Times
27-06-2025
- Climate
- Otago Daily Times
State of emergency continues in part of South Island
By Samantha Gee of RNZ Some residents in Spring Creek, north of Blenheim, were told to evacuate their homes by 9am Friday as heavy rain threatens the Marlborough region. Emergency services are taking a precautionary approach due to the risk posed by cracks in stopbanks protecting the township from the Wairau River. Mayor Nadine Taylor declared a local state of emergency for part of Marlborough at 5pm on Thursday, to facilitate the precautionary evacuation of Spring Creek and in case of any other flooding issues. Affected properties include those on Dodson, Hathaway and March streets, and part of Ferry Road. An Orange Heavy Rain Warning for Marlborough has been in place since 9am Wednesday and runs until 6pm Friday. Up to 150 to 250mm of rain is forecast, with peak rates of 20 to 30mm/h or more expected late Thursday, especially in the ranges. Marlborough Emergency Management Controller Richard MacNamara said the system could stall and bring further rainfall on Friday. "With the Wairau River stop bank at Spring Creek in a compromised state, we are taking the precaution of advising residents of Spring Creek township to plan to evacuate their homes from 6am Friday, tomorrow morning," MacNamara said. "They can leave this evening if they wish but the key time when the river may be running high is from early tomorrow morning." Residents were asked to stay with family or friends - have a grab bag ready and take pets and prescription medications with them. He said all of Marlborough's emergency and lifelines agencies and response teams were ready to go. Further updates will be provided, primarily through Marlborough District Council's Facebook page and the Antenno alerting app. A $8.7 million programme to repair the stopbanks was agreed with the community last May, which includes $3.6m government funding. The stopbank experienced lateral spread during the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake, which was masked by road seal on Peninsula Road, which runs along the top of the stopbank. In July 2021, flooding in the Wairau River further weakened it and emphasised the need for an upgrade to provide one in a 100-year flood protection. The council is working on the final design for the repairs and plan to release it in August. The groundwork will commence in November, with rock and materials stockpiled near the site, temporary infrastructure built, and other preparations made, with construction to begin in November 2026. Meanwhile, other areas across the South Island continue to be lashed by severe weather. The Tasman District Council is expecting rivers across the region to be running at high levels, warning residents to prepare for flooding. Heavy rain, thunderstorms, gales and possible flooding is forecast for much of the South Island. The Tasman District council said uncertainty about the forecast and possible thunderstorms meant people should plan for flooding. Council hydrologists said 75 to 140mm of rain had already fallen in the Tasman ranges in the last 12 hours. The Tākaka River and its tributaries and the Aorere River had peaked or were about to peak, all below annual flood flows. High tide coincided with the Aorere River's peak flow, so people could expect road and surface flooding in Ferntown. Another 200 to 300mm of rain was expected in Golden Bay over the next 26 hours, along with possible thunderstorms and localised flooding. River's in the region's east including the Wakapuaka, Maitai, Wairoa/Waimea and upper Motueka were also expected to reach annual flood flows. Between 15 to 45mm of rain had already been recorded across the eastern ranges, with a further 150 to 250mm expected. The council said there was a good chance the wet weather could cause slips, particularly on State Highway 60 over the Tākaka Hill and State Highway 6 between Nelson and Marlborough. MetService severe weather warnings cover most parts of the island, with orange rain warnings starting in the early hours of Thursday for the Tasman District northwest of Motueka, Buller, Nelson and Marlborough, excluding the Sounds. Haast Pass is closed between Haast and Makarora because of a slip. MetService meterologist Heather Keats said there was "pretty decent rainfall and strong winds come through the South Island overnight as expected". Canterbury High Country experienced "massive" 250km/h wind gusts. "But that's a very elevated site that's quite exposed." Other sites saw 90km/h gusts while some areas also had 10mm to 20mm of rain hourly. "At the moment everything's playing out as we expected as that really active front does start to track over the South Island." Environment Canterbury issued a riverbed alert for five alpine rivers in the region after heavy rain overnight. The regional council said flows were increasing in upper parts of the Rangitata, Rakaia, Waimakariri, Hurunui and Waiau-uha rivers. The focus would then shift to central New Zealand with strong wind watches in place for Wellington and rain watches for Taranaki from tomorrow. It would continue north to affect the whole of the North Island, Keats said. The active rain band affecting the West Coast was expected to stall over the Tasman/Nelson area and then affect Wellington and Taranaki. Wellington region has been upgraded to orange wind warning. MetService said Mount Kaukau recorded wind speeds of up to 130km while winds around the Wellington Airport and Kelburn were closer to the hundred mark. Wellington and Porirua councils said they were unaware of the wind causing any damage - Fire and Emergency were also yet to receive any callouts. Flights and the Cook Strait ferries are also still running. With the Wairau River closely watched, an update is expected by Thursday afternoon for Spring Creek residents once the latest forecasts are reviewed. The weather system had the potential to stall, delivering additional rainfall on Friday, leading to a more significant weather event, the council and Marlborough Emergency Management said in a statement on Wednesday. An update would be issued by the middle of Thursday afternoon for Spring Creek township residents on the potential impact on the Wairau River, once the latest forecasts had been assessed, the council said. Heavy rain warnings in place for the headwaters of the Canterbury and Otago lakes and rivers, the ranges of the Westland district and Fiordland north of Doubtful Sound have been lifted. Intense rain led to flash flooding in Nelson last month, which saw mayor Nick Smith renew his call for a rain radar. With school holidays looming, Keats said: "Sunday looks amazing" while ski fields would benefit from fresh snowfalls over the next few days.
Otago Daily Times
26-06-2025
- Climate
- Otago Daily Times
Evacuations ordered as heavy rain lashes top of South Island
Hydrology teams have been working through the night to monitor Marlborough's Wairau River, because of fears a small town could be flooded. A state of emergency is in place for the area around the town of Spring Creek, and people in about 60 homes must evacuate by 9am today. Emergency management controller Richard MacNamara told Morning Report a floodbank damaged by the Kaikōura earthquake may not hold as the river's level rises in heavy rain. But he said the latest modelling from the MetService from around 11pm last night was showing a lessening of the rainfall, which meant the flow in the river would be less. "Currently our own hydrologist are talking around 3000 cumecs, the biggest flood we've had here in recent years has been around 6000," he said. "But the hydrologists are concerned if we get anything over 4000 and rising then that stopbank beside the township of Spring Creek will come under threat." At this stage the evacuations are still going ahead, but further decisions will be made once it's daylight and the latest information becomes available from MetService and hydrologists, he said. Emergency management has people on the ground at the moment to ensure that the 60 households which are under a compulsory evacuation order are moving, he said. "We've got the support of our local iwi with the marae being opened up, we've got support from Base Woodbourne, NZDF have been fantastic in having some support crews having unimogs etc available if we need them." But at this stage the Wairau River bank was still holding, he said. "It's starting to suggest that we may not reach those threatening levels - which is a good thing." The peak problem was likely to be somewhere between midday and mid-afternoon, he said. There is surface flooding in town and in the urban districts, as well as on State Highway 63 and various feeder roads coming into Blenheim, he said. The damage to the stopbanks occurred during the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake, but it didn't come to light until floods in 2021, he said. "The council has secured funding with the government to secure funding for that." In the meantime the left bank of the river has been opened up to allow flood waters to flow out, but it still leaves townships on the right bank vulnerable, he said. "It's a big job with over 1km of stopbank and they've got to dig it all the way out, so they need the right conditions, they need the right gear, they need sufficient funding to do that job. That's all in place, but in the meantime we still have to deal with this constant threat to that community."
Otago Daily Times
26-06-2025
- Climate
- Otago Daily Times
State of emergency declared for part of South Island
By Samantha Gee of RNZ Some residents in Spring Creek, north of Blenheim, have been told to evacuate their homes by 9am Friday as heavy rain threatens the Marlborough region. Emergency services are taking a precautionary approach due to the risk posed by cracks in stopbanks protecting the township from the Wairau River. Mayor Nadine Taylor declared a local state of emergency for part of Marlborough at 5pm today, to facilitate the precautionary evacuation of Spring Creek and in case of any other flooding issues. Affected properties include those on Dodson, Hathaway and March streets, and part of Ferry Road. An Orange Heavy Rain Warning for Marlborough has been in place since 9am Wednesday and runs until 6pm Friday. Up to 150 to 250mm of rain is forecast, with peak rates of 20 to 30mm/h or more expected late Thursday, especially in the ranges. Marlborough Emergency Management Controller Richard MacNamara said the system could stall and bring further rainfall on Friday. "With the Wairau River stop bank at Spring Creek in a compromised state, we are taking the precaution of advising residents of Spring Creek township to plan to evacuate their homes from 6am Friday, tomorrow morning," MacNamara said. "They can leave this evening if they wish but the key time when the river may be running high is from early tomorrow morning." Residents were asked to stay with family or friends - have a grab bag ready and take pets and prescription medications with them. He said all of Marlborough's emergency and lifelines agencies and response teams were ready to go. Further updates will be provided, primarily through Marlborough District Council's Facebook page and the Antenno alerting app. A $8.7 million programme to repair the stopbanks was agreed with the community last May, which includes $3.6m government funding. The stopbank experienced lateral spread during the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake, which was masked by road seal on Peninsula Road, which runs along the top of the stopbank. In July 2021, flooding in the Wairau River further weakened it and emphasised the need for an upgrade to provide one in a 100-year flood protection. The council is working on the final design for the repairs and plan to release it in August. The groundwork will commence in November, with rock and materials stockpiled near the site, temporary infrastructure built, and other preparations made, with construction to begin in November 2026. Meanwhile, other areas across the South Island continue to be lashed by severe weather. The Tasman District Council is expecting rivers across the region to be running at high levels, warning residents to prepare for flooding. Heavy rain, thunderstorms, gales and possible flooding is forecast for much of the South Island. The Tasman District council said uncertainty about the forecast and possible thunderstorms meant people should plan for flooding. Council hydrologists said 75 to 140mm of rain had already fallen in the Tasman ranges in the last 12 hours. The Tākaka River and its tributaries and the Aorere River had peaked or were about to peak, all below annual flood flows. High tide coincided with the Aorere River's peak flow, so people could expect road and surface flooding in Ferntown. Another 200 to 300mm of rain was expected in Golden Bay over the next 26 hours, along with possible thunderstorms and localised flooding. River's in the region's east including the Wakapuaka, Maitai, Wairoa/Waimea and upper Motueka were also expected to reach annual flood flows. Between 15 to 45mm of rain had already been recorded across the eastern ranges, with a further 150 to 250mm expected. The council said there was a good chance the wet weather could cause slips, particularly on State Highway 60 over the Tākaka Hill and State Highway 6 between Nelson and Marlborough. MetService severe weather warnings cover most parts of the island, with orange rain warnings starting in the early hours of Thursday for the Tasman District northwest of Motueka, Buller, Nelson and Marlborough, excluding the Sounds. Haast Pass is closed between Haast and Makarora because of a slip. MetService meterologist Heather Keats said there was "pretty decent rainfall and strong winds come through the South Island overnight as expected". Canterbury High Country experienced "massive" 250km/h wind gusts. "But that's a very elevated site that's quite exposed." Other sites saw 90km/h gusts while some areas also had 10mm to 20mm of rain hourly. "At the moment everything's playing out as we expected as that really active front does start to track over the South Island." Environment Canterbury issued a riverbed alert for five alpine rivers in the region after heavy rain overnight. The regional council said flows were increasing in upper parts of the Rangitata, Rakaia, Waimakariri, Hurunui and Waiau-uha rivers. The focus would then shift to central New Zealand with strong wind watches in place for Wellington and rain watches for Taranaki from tomorrow. It would continue north to affect the whole of the North Island, Keats said. The active rain band affecting the West Coast was expected to stall over the Tasman/Nelson area and then affect Wellington and Taranaki. Wellington region has been upgraded to orange wind warning. MetService said Mount Kaukau recorded wind speeds of up to 130km while winds around the Wellington Airport and Kelburn were closer to the hundred mark. Wellington and Porirua councils said they were unaware of the wind causing any damage - Fire and Emergency were also yet to receive any callouts. Flights and the Cook Strait ferries are also still running. With the Wairau River closely watched, an update is expected by Thursday afternoon for Spring Creek residents once the latest forecasts are reviewed. The weather system had the potential to stall, delivering additional rainfall on Friday, leading to a more significant weather event, the council and Marlborough Emergency Management said in a statement on Wednesday. An update would be issued by the middle of Thursday afternoon for Spring Creek township residents on the potential impact on the Wairau River, once the latest forecasts had been assessed, the council said. Heavy rain warnings in place for the headwaters of the Canterbury and Otago lakes and rivers, the ranges of the Westland district and Fiordland north of Doubtful Sound have been lifted. Intense rain led to flash flooding in Nelson last month, which saw mayor Nick Smith renew his call for a rain radar. With school holidays looming, Keats said: "Sunday looks amazing" while ski fields would benefit from fresh snowfalls over the next few days.
