Paekākāriki
Paekākāriki | |
|---|---|
Small urban area | |
Paekākāriki beach and township | |
| Coordinates: 40°58′59″S 174°57′14″E / 40.983°S 174.954°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Wellington Region |
| Territorial authority | Kāpiti Coast District |
| Ward | Paekākāriki-Raumati Ward |
| Community | Paekākāriki Community |
| Electorates | |
| Government | |
| • Territorial Authority | Kāpiti Coast District Council |
| • Regional council | Greater Wellington Regional Council |
| • Kāpiti Coast Mayor | Janet Holborow |
| • Mana MP | Barbara Edmonds |
| • Te Tai Hauāuru MP | Debbie Ngarewa-Packer |
| Area | |
• Total | 6.15 km2 (2.37 sq mi) |
| Population (June 2024) | |
• Total | 1,730 |
| • Density | 280/km2 (730/sq mi) |
| Postcode | 5034 |
| Area code | 04 |
Paekākāriki (Māori pronunciation: [paekaːkaːˈɾiki] ⓘ) is a town in the Kāpiti Coast District in the south-western North Island, New Zealand, and one of the northernmost towns of the wider Wellington region. It lies 20 km (12 mi) north of Porirua and 41 km (25 mi) northeast of the Wellington CBD. The town's name comes from the Māori language and can mean "parakeet perch". Paekākāriki had a population of 1,665 at the time of the 2013 census, up 66 from the 2006 census.
Paekākāriki lies on a narrowing of the thin coastal plain between the Tasman Sea and the Akatarawa Ranges (a spur of the Tararua Ranges), and thus serves as an important transportation node. To the south, State Highway 59 climbs towards Porirua; to the north the plains extend inland from the Kāpiti Coast; at Paekākāriki the highway and North Island Main Trunk railway run close together between the coast and hills. Paekākāriki is also served by the nearby Transmission Gully and Kāpiti Expressway (both part of State Highway 1).