A-Z of NZ Locations

A-Z of NZ Locations – Paekākāriki

Suzanne

I couldn’t find a suitable V to follow on from U, so here is another P in my series of A-Z NZ Locations.

When we headed towards Wellington in our motorhome (we sold her in 2017), we were usually booked on the Cook Strait Ferry bound for the South Island. A stop is generally counted on, and this time, we stopped for longer than a few hours on the Kapiti coastline as we spent some time with my cousin, Carol.

Before arriving at a Freedom Camping spot, during the days when they were readily available for people to use and respect, we had a wee pitstop at Paekākāriki, there, we spent a penny, brought coffee and cake, and explored the area by taking a long walk.

Paekākāriki – Queen Elizabeth Park

Paekākāriki is another gem that, if you blinked, you would miss. In every sense of the word, it is a quaint village. On a bustling market day or when the Pride Day Parade is happening, there may be a few more people than the usual 1,850 residents. You can feel the community spirit when popping into any of the shops or cafes; they’re organic and amicable.

Typical “Kiwi” signage back in the day

It’s also unusual that its geographical position, which in this case means being bounded by steep hills, the ocean, and Queen Elizabeth Park, makes it a distinct entity unlikely to be extended in any direction. 

Paekākāriki Escarpment
Paekākāriki – walking down to the beach
Paekākāriki – saying goodbye as the sunsets

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Published by Suzanne

I'm a lover of creativity and movement, expressed through photography, words, travel and sports. . . . . . .

41 thoughts on “A-Z of NZ Locations – Paekākāriki”

    1. Thanks Jim, and yes I think we do. I’m pleased that we spent years touring our own backyard before we moved our sights overseas.
      We will always have a soft spot for the UK.

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  13. Driving a motorhome on a curvy road – especially a narrow one through mountains is quite a feat. We did that one time, and I think my husband almost had a heart attack. Your trip looks lovely. I love the picture of the road through town.

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    1. Thanks, Marsha. It wasn’t so much, Les having a heart attack, more like the passenger who happened to be me. This occurred when the vehicle would be wider than the road, obviously wheels were still grounded. We survived and sold the vehicle quite happily around 2017.

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