Paraparaumu

Paraparaumu is a town in the south-western North Island of New Zealand. It lies on the Kāpiti Coast, 51 kilometres (32 mi) north of the nation's capital city, Wellington. It is also known to residents as Pram or Paraparam.

Like other towns in the area, it has a partner settlement at the coast called Paraparaumu Beach, which is directly opposite Kapiti Island. The two towns form part of the Kāpiti Coast District. Together with the nearby Raumati Beach and Raumati South, they are among the fastest-growing urban areas in New Zealand, and are major dormitory towns with workers commuting to the cities that make up the Wellington urban area. The four towns between them have a 2012 population of over 49,000 people. Inland behind Paraparaumu is the Maungakotukutuku area.

The village of Lindale is just north of the Paraparaumu town centre. It began as a tourist and agricultural centre, but later gained a reputation for cheese and the Lindale Barnyard petting farm.

The old State Highway 1 and the Kapiti Line section of the North Island Main Trunk railway both pass through Lindale. The railway line was formerly owned by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, and construction of the line was completed when the ends from Wellington and Longburn (Palmerston North) met near Lindale in Otaihanga in 1886. There were proposals to extend the commuter train service operated by Transdev Wellington to a new station at Lindale, subject to Wellington Regional Council funding, but these were dropped when electrification for the commuter service was extended from Paraparaumu to Waikanae.

The majority of shops are located close to the town centre in the Coastlands Mall, close to the train station.