Karaka Lobster

A wonderful addition to New Zealand's groovy set of Giant Things popped up in 2019 on the rugged Kaikoura Coast.

It is, of course, a giant crayfish and it tops Karaka Lobster, a new restaurant at Okiwi Bay, which has instantly transformed the roadworks carpark into a desirable stopping place for travelers north and southbound on highway, newly repaired since the 2016 earthquake.

The bay is a stunner, with crystal clear waters, and maybe a little shelter from the elements, flanked to the west by the snowy Kaikoura mountains. It is also sometimes known as Sandy Bay, which is a relative term compared with the rest of the rocky shore, and is quite a different place to the settlement in Marlborough by the same name. There has always been a DOC campsite at Okiwi Bay, on the other side of the road, it is basic and not usually warm but popular with surfers.

Thanks to the earthquake, the beach has changed shape and now features a wider stretch of sand, good for walking and still good for boogie boarding and surfing. There's also a track up the hill called Okiwi Bay Lookout, which leads to the tramping track to the top of Patutu Peak.

Now, the restaurant carpark caters for passing traffic, and even has room for campers. Their coffee, from L'affare in Wellington receives the highest praise, and of course the fresh crayfish is the main dish. They even provide takeaway cray and coffee for those in a hurry. NZPlaces reckons it is worth a stop.

Just to the north, at Waipapa Bay, is another stopping point, the most visible evidence of the Papatea Fault Escarpment, a shelf of sea floor uplifted by the same earthquake.