Kaiapoi

Kaiapoi accommodation sits on the river through the middle of town, with Pines Beach and the Waimakariri mouth downstream and Christchurch to the south.

Walkways follow the bank past moored boats, and Pines Beach and Kairaki lie where the water reaches the coast. Open farmland north of town holds the site of Kaiapoi Pā, a major Ngāi Tahu settlement until the 1830s. Holiday homes sit a street back from the river, and on a clear day the mountains show on the western skyline.