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.
We’re a small place – nestled between the sea and the hills, bounded to the north by Queen Elizabeth Park – but you’ll find lots to do here. Famous as a beach-holiday destination, we also have many walking and biking tracks, parks, friendly cafes and a pub, shops with free wifi, organic fruit and veges, a dairy with everything else, arts, a hairdresser, the railway station museum, and the occasional pop up surprise as well.
Just past the shops on Beach Road there’s St Peter’s Hall – home to great live gigs, movie nights, monthly markets, and the community bike library. If you turn right, down Wellington Road, you’ll find our bowling club, library, tennis courts, and Playcentre only a couple of minutes’ walk away. Further north along Wellington Road there’s Paekakariki School, and on the other side is Campbell Park with sports fields, a children’s playground, skate park and Memorial Hall. And to make sure you’re not caught short out and about, we can tell you there are toilets on the corner of Beach and Wellington Roads, at Campbell Park, and our end of Queen Elizabeth Park. See the map below.
At the northern end of Wellington Road is the Holiday Park for campers, and Queen Elizabeth Park that has trails that’ll take you past Mackays Crossing – where the WWII US marines’ encampment is commemorated and there is the Tramways Museum– right through to Raumati. If you want a more challenging hike, try our dramatic and very popular local escarpment section of the New Zealand-long Te Araroa Trail that climbs the hills between here and Pukerua Bay to the south.
Don’t like walking or riding? Grab a ticket at the dairy and jump on a train and head north to Paraparaumu or Waikanae, or south for the 45-minute trip to Wellington; kick back and relax at the beach listening to Paekakariki.fm – online or at 88.2FM; or catch a movie at the local pub Finn’s. And if you prefer to make your own fun, you can hire St Peter’s, or Memorial Hall on the waterfront.
Here are a few quick links that you might find useful – especially if you’re living here: Paekakariki Times; Paekakariki Community Board; and our local trading Facebook page, Paekakariki Tauhokohoko (for permanent residents only).
There’s heaps more information, stories and links here, so look around, and please let us know if you think anything’s missing – we’re always interested to know how we can make our site more useful.