After 23 years it's time to farewell the Kaikoura Seafest.

The annual seafood festival is no more - with Destination Kaikoura wanting to replace it with something fresh - though a "lack of resources" has played a big part this year, general manager Glenn Ormsby says.

With volunteer numbers lacking since the November, 2016 earthquake, they've decided it's time to move on to something else, and Destination Kaikoura is figuring out what will be next for the town.

"There's nothing sinister behind it, we just thought let's get out while we're on top," he said.

"Seafest has been a major economic event for Kaikoura and it's encouraging that despite a lot of rain during the October 2017 festival, we still managed to attract 4000 attendees and the event was a success."

At its peak, numbers reached about 6000.

In 2016 there were dozens of arrests for largely minor offences at the festival, with alcohol a factor in most.

Ormsby was well aware the event saw people drink a bit too much at times, but said it had nothing to do with the reason for pulling the pin on the event.

"It's about the amount of resourcing it took - it's volunteer-based - all the work with the roads (after the quake) have led to local people not having the time," he said.

"(The public) don't realise how much hard work there is to do, it was hard in 2017 to get people along to help.

"We reviewed why we first did the festival and it was to help the community and over 23 years we put over half a million back into community organisations."