There are two memorials at Kaikōura railway station, now also home to Whale Watch Kaikōura.
The first is a plaque that memorialises those who lost their lives constructing the Wharanui-Parnassus section of the South Island Main Trunk Railway between 1930 and 1945.
A nearby memorial sculpture commemorates those who worked to rebuild the Main North Line following the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake. The inscription reads:
This sculpture was commissioned by KiwiRail, created by local artist Ben Foster, and officially unvieled by His Worship Winston Grey, Mayor of Kaikoura on 16 September 2017.
Made from twisted rail recovered following the earthquake of November 2016, the piece provides a lasting marker of the immense effort by those who rebuilt the Main North Line and acts as an enduring reminder of the strength of the people of Kaikoura and other communities along the coast.
Images: Francis Vallance, 2011 and Christine Clement, 2023