Tourism

The Kāpiti Coast boasts 40km of sandy beaches stretching from Paekākāriki to Ōtaki, to the lush flora and fauna found in plentiful pockets of untouched nature, located just 35 minutes from Wellington. Visitors can enjoy a relaxed coastal escape, get outdoors and experience arts, culture and heritage. 

Visitors will enjoy the hospitality of a relaxed coastal getaway, get outdoors and experience a rich array of arts, culture and heritage.

Across the Rauoterangi Channel lies Kapiti Island - an ecological jewel in Aotearoa’s crown. A visit to the Island offers a unique opportunity to experience some of New Zealand's endangered wildlife and appreciate the lush flora and fauna of this natural taonga. 

Kāpiti is an adventurer's playground, where the great outdoors invites you to explore and discover. From adrenaline-pumping mountain biking to family-friendly cycle trails, there’s something here for every kind of explorer. Pick your pace on the abundance of trails from easy to epic, through the native bush of the mighty Tararua Ranges, or the iconic coastal Paekākāriki Escarpment track. 

The unique coastline features six townships - Paekākāriki, Raumati, Paraparaumu, Waikanae, Te Horo and Ōtaki - each individually offering its own unique essence and vibe, but more importantly, collectively representing an opportunity to provide a very special experience for those that travel here.

The Tourism Advisory Board creates important partnerships with tourism stakeholders including the Kāpiti Coast District Council, iwi and WellingtonNZ, and works closely with Kāpiti businesses to ensure their inclusion in the implementation of this plan.

Tourism Advisory Board members

• George Hickton (Chair), Former CEO of Tourism NZ

• Chris Barber, Director at Koakoa

• John Barrett, Chairperson at Raukawa Whanau Ora Ltd.

• Libby Hakaraia, Managing Director at Māoriland Charitable Trust

• Scott Houston, Hi-tech entrepreneur and futurist

• Patricia Stuart, Chairperson at Ngā Manu Trust

Our Destination Management Plan provides a strategic framework and key actions to help increase visitor numbers, duration of stay and visitor spend. 

Beyond Kapiti’s natural offering, Kāpiti is a sustainable tourism region. The Destination Management Plan (DMP) aims to help grow this, by providing a long-term strategic framework to strengthen the whole of the Kāpiti visitor economy through sustainable development and visitation. Ensuring the tourism offering is well stocked with quality experiences that appeal to its customer base, and its promotional efforts accurately and successfully reflect this.

Bringing all the key elements of the industry together, the DMP aims to guide tourism development, marketing and industry involvement, and improve visitor experience and infrastructure. The ultimate goal is increasing the value of the Kāpiti visitor economy by increasing the number of visitors, their length of stay, and the ability to spend more money in the region.

The Kāpiti Tourism cluster is dedicated to showcasing and supporting new, established, and up-and-coming tourism ventures on the coast. By joining the cluster, you'll gain access to exclusive industry meetups, skill-enhancing seminars, collaborative promotional opportunities, and platforms for fostering partnerships within the tourism community. 

Get in touch with the tourism programme lead and become part of the Kāpiti Tourism cluster and tap into a network of passionate travel and hospitality professionals.

Destination Story Industry Guide

Download the Industry Guide which outlines how your business can utilise and leverage the Kāpiti Destination Story to support visitor attraction and showcase the uniqueness of our district.

Industry Facebook Group

The tourism cluster has a closed facebook group which is a space to share marketing and collaboration opportunities, tourism news and events. Administered by the Economic Development team’s Tourism and Marketing Manager, join 70+ tourism businesses and connect with other destination businesses.

Tourism Industry Newsletter

Sign up to receive a monthly newsletter with key sector initiatives and updates from the Tourism Advisory Board plus the opportunity to attend quarterly industry functions.

Image Library

The image library focuses on two themes:
01 – Natural Advantage: Destination Hero
02 – The Kāpiti Story: Authentically Kapiti Experiences

By supporting Major Events we are able to celebrate our rich culture, natural environment and highlight the opportunities and advantages of our district.

Kāpiti Coast District Council's Major Events Fund has $200,000 available annually in two categories. 

• Strategic Growth Fund – up to $50,000 is available in for events expecting fewer than 2,000 attendees, that have growth planning and aspirations to become tier one or two events.
• Major Events Fund – the balance of the fund is available to events expecting over 2,000 attendees and are attracting visitors from outside of the district. 

There is eligibility criteria and an assessment process that is undertaken by a panel who then make recommendation to Council for funding allocations.

Applications for 2025/26 open in March 2025, following a policy review. 

Get in touch or visit the Council's website to learn more about previous reipents and the application process.