Air Chats Autumn 2023

Cruising the Coast

The Kāpiti Coast is not a destination –it’s several destinations all rolled into one! Paekākāriki, Raumati, Waikanae, Te Horo, Ōtaki and Paraparaumu all have distinct characters and unique attractions, from shopping, hiking, biking and swimming, to horse trekking, vibrant arts scenes and great eating. Together they make this part of the coast a truly great place to visit as the sense of discovery never seems to end, there’s always something else just up the road or around the corner. So to make summer last a little longer, come on over to the Kāpiti Coast and find your new favourite happy place.

Let’s start our tour at the top with Ōtaki and Te Horo. The former is very much making a name for itself as one of our most bilingual towns, thanks largely to the local wananga that has been working to nurture a generation of bilingual leaders for several decades.

This has helped make Ōtaki a wellrespected centre for learning te reo Māori, but the town is also the home of the Māoriland Hub, a centre of excellence for Māori film and creative arts. Anyone visiting the Kāpiti Coast district deserves to take in the Hub and its Gallery, and remember the name because these folks are going places!

Any visitor also deserves to take in the local eateries and shops. Both Te Horo and Ōtaki have great restaurants and cafes, and with Ōtaki Beach nearby they also have some great fish and chip shops for the perfect Kiwi picnic. The area has also long been known for a selection of outlet shops, but there are some very cool boutique shops offering less mainstream homewares, clothing, jewellery and gifts.

Dragging yourself away from those shops can be a struggle, but be strong because next stop is Waikanae.

For many years a semi-sleepy getaway for Wellingtonians looking for a truly spectacular beach, Waikanae now has an awful lot going on, with shopping, eateries, a mid-week market, a boutique cinema, and family friendly spots like the Kāpiti Coast Museum, the outdoor Waikanae Pool, and the Ngā Manu Nature Reserve. With 14ha of thick native forest and wetlands that’s now home to more than 40 species of birds and more than 200 species of native fauna, the Reserve is considered by many to be the jewel in the crown of the district, but you are really spoilt for choice when it comes to nature walks and trails on the Coast: choose your flavor – hills, flat, coastline – and your mode of transport – walking, cycling or horse trekking – and get into it!

It seems remiss to not make more of Waikanae’s beach, but in many ways the next stop on our coastal cruise is home to the beaches to be at. Paraparaumu and Raumati are some of the fastest growing urban areas in New Zealand and yet they retain a laidback beachside vibe while also having plenty to do.

In our increasingly pre-packaged world it’s nice to get lost and follow your nose sometimes

The seemingly endless beaches, great golf, the Southward Car Museum, craft breweries and excellent restaurants and cafes are clearly what attracts that growth, but it also makes Paraparaumu and Raumati a great place to spend a few days in a late summer family getaway. Kāpiti Island, which is directly off shore, is a destination in and of itself, and there are short trips or overnight stays available.

The last call on our whistle-stop tour is by no means the least of what the Kāpiti Coast has to offer, because Paekākāriki is very much a creative hub of

the district with many actors, dancers, musicians, film-makers, artists and sculptors choosing to make their home here. In the heart of the village you’ll find a specially-designed walking route, which showcases poetry and visual arts by local and creative artists and is a short, mostly gentle walking loop that follows charming, scenic streets and a seaside path. Each waypoint features a poem or visual art piece, alongside a photo of the artist, a short biography and/or historical information.

The walk covers about 1.5 km, and will take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on your pace. Holtom’s Art Studios, a unique collective, creative mahi space and artist-run gallery, is also well-worth a visit; it’s at 1 Beach Road, and trust us, you can’t miss it, it’s the huge pink building!

The only hard part about a Kāpiti Coast hop is deciding where to start – and where to finish! Each town and settlement has so much to explore, and in our increasingly pre-packaged world it’s nice to get lost and follow your nose sometimes. And the Kāpiti Coast is the perfect place to do it.