--- title: "Kaikōura restaurants in New Zealand: Which brands are most popular in search?" description: "Compare restaurants in Kaikōura, New Zealand. Share of Search among The Pier Hotel, Hiku and The Whaler, the kaikōura restaurants Brandwave compares in New Zealand, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-kaikoura-restaurants" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Kaikōura restaurants in New Zealand: Which brands are most popular in search? Compare restaurants in Kaikōura, New Zealand. Share of Search among The Pier Hotel, Hiku and The Whaler, the kaikōura restaurants Brandwave compares in New Zealand, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Competitive set**: Kaikōura restaurants - **Market**: New Zealand - **Brands compared**: 3 - **Month measured**: Aug 2026 - **Highest Share of Search**: The Pier Hotel, 80.9% ## Which brand is most popular in search among kaikōura restaurants in New Zealand? - In August 2026, The Pier Hotel was the most searched among kaikōura restaurants in New Zealand, with an estimated 3.1K branded searches and 80.9% estimated Share of Search within this set. - Hiku is in 2nd place, 70.4 percentage points behind at 10.6% Share of Search. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, The Pier Hotel’s estimated Share of Search among kaikōura restaurants in New Zealand decreased from 88.7% to 80.9%. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Hiku’s estimated Share of Search among kaikōura restaurants in New Zealand increased from 6.2% to 10.6%. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, The Whaler’s estimated Share of Search among kaikōura restaurants in New Zealand increased from 5.1% to 8.5%. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, The Pier Hotel’s estimated Share of Search among kaikōura restaurants in New Zealand peaked at 92.6% in February 2026 and was lowest at 77.8% in June 2026. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Hiku’s estimated Share of Search among kaikōura restaurants in New Zealand peaked at 11% in July 2026 and was lowest at 3.8% in February 2026. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, The Whaler’s estimated Share of Search among kaikōura restaurants in New Zealand peaked at 11.4% in June 2026 and was lowest at 3.6% in February 2026. ## Compare search popularity between leading brands - [The Pier Hotel vs Hiku: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/hiku-vs-the-pier-hotel): 80.9% against 10.6% Share of Search. - [The Pier Hotel vs The Whaler: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/the-pier-hotel-vs-the-whaler): 80.9% against 8.5% Share of Search. - [Hiku vs The Whaler: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/hiku-vs-the-whaler): 10.6% against 8.5% Share of Search. ## How did search popularity change for New Zealand kaikōura restaurants in August 2026? - Estimated monthly branded searches for The Pier Hotel in New Zealand fell 48% over 11 measured months, from 6K to 3.1K in August 2026. ## Share of Search ranking | Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | The Pier Hotel | 80.9% | 3.1K | +26.6% | The Pier Hotel | | 2 | Hiku | 10.6% | 410 | +20.6% | Hiku | | 3 | The Whaler | 8.5% | 330 | +26.9% | The Whaler | ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | The Pier Hotel | 6K | 88.7% | 1 | | Oct 2025 | Hiku | 420 | 6.2% | 2 | | Oct 2025 | The Whaler | 350 | 5.1% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | The Pier Hotel | 7.8K | 90.3% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | Hiku | 420 | 4.9% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | The Whaler | 410 | 4.8% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | The Pier Hotel | 7.8K | 89.1% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | The Whaler | 480 | 5.5% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | Hiku | 470 | 5.4% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | The Pier Hotel | 9.6K | 88.3% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | Hiku | 670 | 6.2% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | The Whaler | 590 | 5.5% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | The Pier Hotel | 10.5K | 92.6% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | Hiku | 430 | 3.8% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | The Whaler | 410 | 3.6% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | The Pier Hotel | 7.7K | 88.3% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | Hiku | 530 | 6% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | The Whaler | 500 | 5.7% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | The Pier Hotel | 6.7K | 86.8% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | Hiku | 520 | 6.7% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | The Whaler | 500 | 6.5% | 3 | | May 2026 | The Pier Hotel | 4K | 82.6% | 1 | | May 2026 | Hiku | 450 | 9.3% | 2 | | May 2026 | The Whaler | 390 | 8.1% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | The Pier Hotel | 2.7K | 77.8% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | The Whaler | 390 | 11.4% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | Hiku | 370 | 10.8% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | The Pier Hotel | 2.5K | 80.5% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | Hiku | 340 | 11% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | The Whaler | 260 | 8.4% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | The Pier Hotel | 3.1K | 80.9% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | Hiku | 410 | 10.6% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | The Whaler | 330 | 8.5% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | Hiku | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | The Pier Hotel | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | The Whaler | — | — | — | ## What is being compared - **Hiku**: Measured on the search terms “hiku cafe”, “hiku kaikoura”, “hiku menu” and “hiku restaurant”, summed into one figure. - **The Pier Hotel**: Measured on the search terms “pier hotel kaikoura”, “pier hotel kaikoura menu”, “pier hotel kaikoura nz”, “pier hotel kaikoura reviews”, “the pier hotel”, “the pier hotel avoca street kaikoura”, “the pier hotel kaikoura menu”, “the pier hotel menu” and “the pier hotel restaurant”, summed into one figure. - **The Whaler**: Measured on the search terms “the whaler kaikoura” and “whaler kaikoura”, summed into one figure. - [Hiku](/demand/nz/brands/hiku) - [The Pier Hotel](/demand/nz/brands/the-pier-hotel) - [The Whaler](/demand/nz/brands/the-whaler) ## Methodology - [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which brand is most popular in search among kaikōura restaurants in New Zealand? In August 2026, The Pier Hotel was the most searched among kaikōura restaurants in New Zealand, with an estimated 3.1K branded searches and 80.9% estimated Share of Search within this set. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Kaikōura restaurants in New Zealand: Which brands are most popular in search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-kaikoura-restaurants This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-kaikoura-restaurants. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.