Kapiti Coast District

The Kapiti Coast District is the name of a local government district in the north-west corner of the Wellington Region, New Zealand. It is similar to, but not identical to, the area known as the Kapiti Coast, a more ambiguous and less defined area stretching roughly from Porirua to the coast of the Horowhenua district.

The name of the district is derived from Kapiti Island, the prominent island several kilometres off the coast. Some living in areas to the north and south of the district boundary consider themselves to be part of the Kapiti Coast because the island is prominent in their sea views.

Features

Apart from Kapiti Island, perhaps the most visible features of the Kapiti Coast are Paraparaumu Airport and Queen Elizabeth Park. The airport is sandwiched between Paraparaumu (to the north) and Raumati (to the south). Possessing three runways (one of which is now closed), it once served as the main airport of the Wellington region, but is now used mainly by aeroclubs. The park, lying to the south of Raumati, is a popular attraction which covers some 12 km². The park extends to Paekakariki, and houses the Wellington Tramway Museum.

Other tourist attractions on the Kapiti Coast include Paraparaumu Golf Course. Another attraction a few kilometres north of the town centre is the Southward Car Museum in Otaihanga.

The district is on the North Island Main Trunk railway line (NIMT), and is served by suburban passenger trains on the section of the NIMT referred to as the Paraparaumu Line.

Population

Although administratively part of the Wellington Region, it is to a large extent socially distinct from Wellington and the Hutt Valley, which together comprise the nucleus of the region. However many residents travel into Wellington each day for work and the whole Kapiti Coast is a popular weekend destination for the people of the Wellington Region. Many migrate to the area for their retirement. The Kapiti Coast district incorporates such towns as Paekakariki, Raumati, Paraparaumu, Waikanae and Otaki, and smaller localities such as Maungakotukutuku, Otaihanga, and Peka Peka. Paraparaumu, considered the pivot of the district, is located about 55 km north of Wellington.

History

Most of the district was originally part of the now-defunct Hutt County. The "Kapiti Borough Council" was carved from it in 1973; in the local government reorganization of 1989, the Borough Council was replaced by the Kapiti Coast District Council, and the area under its jurisdiction expanded northwards to include Waikanae and Otaki, which had been part of the former Horowhenua County.

External links

* [http://www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/ Official website]