Name: First Light Kaikoura
Address: 36 Ward St, Kaikoura 7300, New Zealand, Kaikoura, Kaikoura, Kaikoura, 7300, New Zealand
Rating: 10

Air conditioning

Smoke-free property

Heating

Garden

Terrace

Adults Only

General

Non-smoking rooms

Soundproof rooms

Rooms

Accessibility features

Accessibility

Laundry

Services and amenities

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Barbecue grill(s)

Hiking

Sun Deck

Recreation

Free parking nearby

Free Parking on Premises

Parking

Cycling

Snorkelling

Sports

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the hotel

First Light Kaikoura

Kaikoura

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

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limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

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sunset-view

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with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

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not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

Lovely apartment with balcony just out of town. Kaikoura is a smashing spot and there’s no better place to stay than here. Quiet, clean and comfortable with great walking and nature on the doorstep. The apartment is so well furnished we didn’t even try the local restaurants but they did look amazing.

Top spot

There are a couple of self-contained units located at the rear of the owners' property which is set on the hill above Kaikoura in a quiet pleasant residential area.  We stayed in the apartment with a balcony which is the larger of the two, however it wasn't as spacious as we had expected.  We were only there for two nights and it was fine for that short stay.  Cost was $390 in total which was paid at the premises.

Tracy met us on arrival and showed us the apartment.

It was split level - a compact living room/kitchenette and wet room on the ground level and the bedroom on the upper level.  There was a decking area at the entrance which overlooked the rear garden.  

The living room had a settee, table and two chairs and a wall mounted television.  (There were very few channels to watch which made the addition of another wall mounted television in the bedroom a bit surprising).  Wifi was free although there was an evening cut-off to availability, from memory around 9.00pm. The kitchenette had a kettle, toaster and microwave and some kitchenware so it was fine for us making breakfast but I doubt we would have attempted to self-cater.  Tea & coffee were provided.

The bathroom had a shower with reasonable water pressure and although there was a curtain this only partially prevented the floor area getting wet.  

The bedroom had a comfortable queen sized bed, bedside cabinets, a couple of handy shelf areas for sitting our cases upon and a hanging rail.  Bi-fold doors opened on to a small balcony with a couple of chairs from which you could admire the coastline in the distance.  We slept well.

There was electric heating if required and an electric fan however we didn't need to use these to any great extent during our visit.   

It's only a 5 minute or so drive to the town however to walk there on the same route would take considerably longer.  When dining out in the evening we used the shortcut suggested by our hosts, Tracy & Murray, which was to walk to the end of their street and take a grass track down to Fountain Street, join Fyffe Quay and walk round the coastal road to The Pier Hotel and The Green Dolphin - that took about 20 minutes.  We also used that way to access the Kaikoura peninsula walk.  It's a bit of a climb coming back up!   On our first night Murray did offer us a lift back if we got a member of staff from the Pier Hotel to give him a ring when we finished our meal.  However despite several attempts he couldn't be raised from his slumbers so we had another drink and a staff member gave us a lift instead!  We took the car on the second evening.

Murray manages Air Kaikoura scenic flights to see the whales and we booked ahead online to do this whilst in the area.  He arranged for my wife or I to get a seat alongside the pilot and gave a discount on the trip reducing the cost to $276 for the two of us which was helpful.  

Both Murray and Tracy are very friendly, easy going people to speak with and made us welcome.

We stayed in March 2020, prior to Covid-19 lockdown.

Compact apartment edge of town, friendly hosts

We stayed here one night only, very sadly and having arrived mid afternoon and with an early start definitely didn’t get the best out of the place. Tracy was on hand to meet us and showed us around and gave us lots of info on the area so we will need to come back. The property was lovely, beautifully decorated and spotlessly clean. The bathroom was lovely and had a great shower, a little kitchenette and Tracy had provided us with milk and the makings of a light breakfast.  A sofa and tv made up downstairs. We did have a little outside area too had the weather been a little kinder.  A lovely bedroom upstairs with a very comfy bed. A great find and one we would be more than happy to recommend and use again if we revisit.  Thanks Tracy. 

Sadly only one night

First Light Kaikoura is located right at the peninsula. It is a beautiful house with two separate self contained apartments at the back. Tracy and Murray are very friendly and welcoming and go out of their way to make their guests comfortable. 
Murray being the manager of Air Kaikoura arranged for us to go on a whale watch flight and a scenic flight along the mountains. They are very well known in the village, which made it easy to book tours! 
The room is not very large, but it is very well fitted and the bed is comfy. Shower is vert nice and the kittle kitchenette is practical. 

All in all we had a very good stay at first light. 


Very pleasant stay

We've been traveling in New Zealand for eight days now and this was by far our favorite lodging!  Beautiful location away from the crowds and lovely rooms.  We had our own suite in the back of the house with a private door.  Tracy and Murray thought of everything you might need.  We loved the friendliness of the hosts and we met other family members along with the pet guinea pigs (caged in the yard).  Tracy provided information on the area and even menus for a dinner selection in the area.  If you are in Kaikoura, try to stay here.  You won't regret it.  Hope to return some day for another visit.

Wonderful!

I stayed here one night. 

Located in a very quiet neighborhood with very little traffic. So if you do not like a noisy place, the location is a plus.

The host is very friendly and helpful. The room was warm enough.

After enjoying a comfortable night, the view from the house was amazing.

Nice

We had a wonderful stay here - just one night but we had a great walk and went to view the dolphins.

Tracy and Murray are really caring and helpful owners. It is just as if you were old friends staying over - except the accommodation is totally self-contained.

This is a recently developed
and exceptionally well designed place. Very comfortable - a wonderful night’s sleep in a comfortable bed in a lovely dark room!

We loved it!

A perfect place to stay

We stayed for 2 nights during the annual kaikoura Hop. Tracey was there to greet us and show us the ropes, we were very impressed by the room and in particular the views from the lounge and the upstairs bedroom.  

Beautiful view of the snow capped mountains

A gem away from the hustle and bustle staying with amazing hosts. Tracy went out of her way for us. The scenery from the top story fantastic and a great place to walk around and see the area from the hill.

Glorious views

We arrived in pouring rain to be greeted by Murray and Tracy, umbrellas and hot soup at the ready: a great start to our short stay.  The two-storey apartment was very clean, extremely well equipped (including breakfast) and nicely firn8shed. It was comfortable and spacious and simply could not be better value. Our hosts were charming and helpful and we would recommend 5his accommodation to anyone.

First Light Kaikoura

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