The rocky shoreline of the Kaikoura waterfront along the south end of The Esplanade is a beautiful and easy location to capture the grandeur of the Kaikoura range with the bay and Pacific Ocean in the foreground. To me this location and composition is the quintessential Kaikoura image showing exactly what this stunning little coastal village setting is all about. The ocean, the mountains and the people.

There is plenty of parking along the Esplanade and you might even come across some friendly (or angry) seals waking up from their slumber at sunrise.

There are lots of compositions available along the shoreline with rock formations, rock pool reflections and there are even a few pretty flowers scattered about. I visited the waterfront at sunrise to capture the light hitting the mountains and also at sunset hoping for some nice clouds to light up the sky. Take your wide angle lens with you for this spot.