Fyffe House was literally built on the back of whaling – the initial single-storey cottage, which became the wing of a larger home, rests on piles made from the vertebrae of a mighty Tohorā (Southern right whale). But Kaikōura’s famously pink heritage building, and the land it occupies, has a history that is centuries deep, dating from the arrival of tangata whenua. By the end of your visit, you’ll have gained valuable insights into the full history of the place, including the whaling industry, and a vivid sense of the lives of three families who inhabited the house between 1844 and 1980.