Heard of the planking phenomenon? Paekākāriki gives you it’s own take: #perching
Photo stories
Meet the locals
O, poetry! O, Helen Heath!
Paekākāriki poet, Helen Heath, just won big time at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards for her poetry collection, Are Friends Electric? Here she chats to two other local poets, Maria McMillan and daughter Lily McMillan.
Meet the locals #3
Meet Suzie, Anna-Maria & Margaret
Meet the Locals #2
Meet Michael, Mercedes, Joe & Nicole
Meet the locals #1
Meet Carol, Moira, Alun and Arlo, Darcy and Prue
Perky’s eulogy
No-one in Paekākāriki talked about ‘diversity’ in 1971 but the Perkins family soon came to epitomise it. The culture of the Middle Run family farm was right wing, left-leaning, New Age, rural, cosmopolitan, outdoors, arty, horsey, gentle, blokey, into surf life-saving, and famous for teasing humour noted for a consistent lack of tact. The John Perkins era attracted wonderful people to our village: people who might not be like-minded―the Perkins family is incapable of being that boring―but certainly people who are, by and large, remarkably like-hearted.
Community
For Preservation
Jenny Clark writes about the heritage of our Paekākāriki buildings and the merit in saving them
Children and parents learn te reo Māori together
“Tapawha whero!” yells three-year-old Hana as she proudly points to a red square on a board. She’s playing a game naming colours and shapes at Paekākāriki Playcentre with Whaea Wai Miller who visits the centre each week to help the children and their parents to practise their te reo Māori.
Giving it right back
‘In his quiet, behind-the-scenes way, he’s a very active, enthusiastic Paekākārikian, working hard for social equality. We are lucky to have him.’ Introducing our altruistic second sponsor.
How it started – Paekākāriki Escarpment track
“This is crazy!” We were hacking a path through 2-metre tall cape ivy in the quarry.
How to grow lizards
I have lived in Paekākāriki for over 35 years. Most of that time I have not known much about lizards. Sure, there have always been a few skinks running around my garden. But that was about all I knew. All that began to change when Ngā Uruora hired Ecogecko to do a series of local lizard surveys.
Creative non-fiction
A restless person’s guide to a walking meditation
I am restless by nature. There. A confession. Undeniably a deficit in my character. FOMO at its worst.
Taupo Swamp
The first time I became aware of Taupo Swamp was when the Queen came to visit. A platform was erected atop a small grassy knoll beside State Highway One. From here the Queen could stand, her back to the traffic, to admire the sea of flax, and perhaps wave royally across its expanse at commuters on the Kapiti train line. My parents felt a bit sorry for her – but they were also amused.
Centennial
Our house backs onto paddocks and on the other side of those paddocks part of Transmission Gully is being constructed. It’s a notorious road. One I can hardly believe is actually being built, having heard about it for as long as I can remember. I see the earthmovers and the hazard bunting during the day, and I’ve got used to the hi-vis workers clearing out the pie warmer in the local dairy, but it’s mostly at night when I feel the road advancing. Lights pulse and flash, machinery growls, and the shouting talk of workers carry across the paddocks.
In 50 years' time
Not everyone wears shoes
Erica Julian ponders Paekākāriki’s future and what makes us special. The first in series of stories for Paekakariki.nz by residents on what we will, or could look like in 50 years time.
News
New energy and expertise
Welcoming Dr Judith Aitken to the Paekākāriki Community Board
Te haerenga: the journey
“It takes a village, right? Thankfully, I was in one.”
An introductory editorial.
Contract offered: Coordinating Editor (part-time) Paekakariki.nz
Extended hours! New shows!
From Sunday 28 February Paekakakariki 88.2FM’s extending its hours so your day kicks off at 8am after the Kapiti bird’s dawn chorus. But wait there’s more! We have six new shows starting this month, with a big injection from new local DJs who are either at Kapiti College or Paekakariki School.
Announcing Paekākāriki.nz
Welcome to Paekakariki – we hope this site helps you to find your way around. Paekakariki: To the Ngati Haumia who settled here it was the bay of the kakariki – some say it’s another name for paradise … it’s even been called The Centre of the Universe. But whatever it’s been called, while you’re here, you can call it home.