14 km south of Ōamaru on the coast. A port was built in the 1870s and a harbour board was established, but was abolished in 1886 after sea damage wrecked the harbour. Holiday homes were built in the township from the 1920s.
Meaning of place name
Kaka: parrot; nui: many. But in fact the name is a corruption of Kakaunui, which has two meanings: kakau: stalk of a plant, or handle of a tool; nui: large, ro many. It may also be the name of an ancestor.
