Special Attractions and Activities Nearby
Paekakariki is a character-full village with great cafes with gorgeous pastries and coffee. A lot of artists live here and there studios dotted throughout the village that you can visit. My house is close to the beach and the park, so taking a swim or a walk from home is very easy. It is a 35 minute drive into Wellington, or a 40 minute train trip.
The beach is long, dark-sanded, and reliably dramatic - swimmable on calmer days, spectacular on stormy ones. The sunsets are magnificent. The village itself is a single main street with a bakery, a pub, a café, and a community hall that hosts everything from yoga to live jazz. It has the unhurried rhythm of a place where people actually know each other.
Paraparaumu, 15 minutes north, has the major supermarkets and the ferry terminal for Kapiti Island. It also has one of the two accessible airports, the other being Wellington airport.
The Escarpment Track
One of the Kapiti Coast's finest walks, running along the ridge directly above the village. The full track between Paekakariki and Pukerua Bay takes 3–4 hours and delivers sweeping views over Kapiti Island, the Tasman Sea, and on clear days, across to the South Island. The trailhead is minutes from the village — no shuttle required.
Campfire Sauna
I run this small business. It’s just a five minute walk away. It’s a wood fired traditional sauna, with great hosts and a charming vibe. It’s open most nights of the week for public bookings, or can be rented privately.
Kapiti Island
This wildlife sanctuary sits just off the coast and is visible from the house. Strictly managed, predator-free, and home to kakapo, kokako, takahe, and little spotted kiwi — birds most visitors never see anywhere else. Tours available.
Queen Elizabeth Park
2,000 hectares of coastal park running alongside the beach. Bike hire, horse trekking, wetland walks, and a historic tramway give families and solo explorers plenty to fill a day. The park connects directly to the beach and is free to enter.
Swimming holes
The Kapiti Coast has two rivers worth seeking out on a hot day. The Waikanae, closest to Paekakariki, winds through farmland and native bush with a string of swimming holes ranging from shallow family paddling spots to deeper pools with rocks to jump from - the kind of places locals have been coming to for generations and still feel like a find. Forty minutes north, the Otaki runs cold and clear out of the Tararua Range, with gorge pools set among boulders and bush that feel genuinely remote despite being accessible by a short walk from the road. Both rivers are clean, unhurried, and exactly the sort of swimming that's hard to find without local knowledge - warm stones to dry off on, nobody selling anything, just water and bush and an afternoon well spent.
