Singaporean tourist James Goh and his family prepare for an afternoon of seal spotting on kayaks at Kaikoura.

The Goh family weren't going to let the November 14 earthquake stop them seeing some marine life in Kaikoura.

The Singaporean tourists are possibly the first to drive a campervan in to the town via the inland route.

"We had planned this for a while," said James Goh.

Jamie Small Singaporean tourist James Goh and his family set out for an afternoon of seal spotting on kayaks at Kaikoura.

He said he wasn't too concerned by the quake.



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"It happens anyway, everywhere," he said.

Jamie Small The earthquake was not a good enough reason to keep James Goh and his family away from a well-planned holiday.

His children – aged 3, 6, and 7 – and his wife were looking forward to a kayak trip to see the new "Hope Springs" bubbles and some fur seals.

Goh said he was enjoying Kaikoura, but the family would soon move off to continue their trip around the South Island.

"We're leaving tomorrow or the day after, depending on the weather, and depending on whether they let us," he said.

Jamie Small Kaikoura Kayaks owner Matt Foy says he's glad to see tourists making the effort to visit Kaikoura.

Kaikoura Kayaks owner/operator Matt Foy said the family had booked a kayak trip in advance, and had been in email contact to specifically request the Hope Springs trip.

"They really just wanted to come and support the town," he said.

"So yeah, we're stoked."

Foy said he wasn't sure the family would get through the inland route, and they were out of phone contact for the morning.

"They just pulled up on our driveway."

His business has taken a hit since the earthquake, and he said it was good to see tourists making an effort to visit Kaikoura.

"There's only so many jobs we can give the guys at the moment."

Foy said Hope Springs was an interesting new attraction for visitors, and scientists would be analysing it over the coming weeks to see what was behind it and whether it was a permanent fixture.

"Yeah, hopefully that keeps bubbling away."

He said the Goh family would definitely see fur seals on their outing, and since the earthquake the kayak guides had also seen dusky dolphins and Hutton's shearwaters – seabirds that only breed around Kaikoura.