Paekakariki
Understand
Paekakariki is a very small beachside town at the very south of the Kapiti Coast district.
Get in
Paekakariki is 45km North of Wellington (the national capital), this is a 30-60 minute drive depending on traffic. Palmerston North is the closest city to the north, and is about 100km to the north-northeast or just over an hour's drive.
By plane
The nearest airport is in Paraparaumu, this is a domestic airport with flights to Auckland, Nelson and Blenheim. Wellington Airport is a major New Zealand airport with international flights and Palmerston North also has a domestic airport.
By bus
InterCity operates several scheduled bus services through Paekakariki.
By train
- Main article: Rail travel in New Zealand
Tranzscenic has 3 trains a week running from Auckland to Wellington and back that stop at Paraparaumu, which is 5-10 minutes north of Paekakariki. Paekakariki also has its own train station and services running between Wellington and Waikanae operate once or twice every hour on the Metlink Kapiti Line.
Get around
The Metlink 251 Paekakariki - Paraparaumu - Kapiti Health Centre bus runs on a Tuesday, Thursday and Friday around Paekakariki and also goes between Paekakariki and Paraparaumu.
See
To the north of Paekakariki is the Queen Elizabeth II Park, a nice park which also houses a memorial to the US Marines that were stationed at Paekakariki during World War II. This is actually in Paraparaumu, but it is directly north of Paekakariki township and the Marines memorial contains information about Paekakariki history.
- 🌍 Paekakariki Station Museum, State Highway One, PO Box 57, Paekakariki 5034, ☎ +64 905 8275, e-mail: stationmaster@stationmuseum.co.nz. 11AM-3PM (weekends only). Small museum with exhibits on local history topics. Set in the Paekakariki railway station building.
Do
- 🌍 Paekakariki Escarpment Walk. A lovely intermediate grade 10km walk with great views of the coastal reserve, set in farmland with some swing bridges. Goes up 200m, with some steep steps. Start at either Pukerua Bay or Paekakariki Railway Stations, do the walk to the other one and take a train back. Part of Te Araroa walkway.