Lydia Harfield of Apostle Hot Sauce - Her Guide to Kāpiti Coast

We are super fortunate in Paekākāriki to have Saint Peter’s Hall as a favourite venue for some fantastic local artists. Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to see Lawrence Arabia, Tiny Ruins, Orchestra of Spheres, and Delaney Davidson play there, just around the corner from my house. These shows are extra special because they are relaxed and intimate, with a beautiful community atmosphere. Even if you live in Wellington Central, I recommend catching the train out with some friends to experience one of these shows as a total change of pace from the bigger city. 

There is a fantastic cluster of local producers on Sheffield Street in Paraparaumu. If you head down there on a Saturday morning, you can enjoy a Dark Horse coffee in their Espresso Garden and treat yourself to the most delicious poffertjes from Montfoort; these are like mini Dutch pancakes and are out of this world! Once you’ve done this, you can head next door to Duncan's Brewery and pick up some craft beer to enjoy later. I particularly like their Yuzu Lager.  

Kāpiti has some incredible bike tracks. Over the summer, I love biking the Te Ara o Whareroa trail, which runs from Queen Elizabeth Park in Paekākāriki to Raumati. It’s the perfect easy bike ride through inland Queen Elizabeth Park. On the way, you can stop off at the wetlands and watch the native birds. It’s so peaceful along this track, and there are never too many people, so it’s a perfect escape. You can actually continue along to Waikanae if you want an extra challenge.

Hendrix at Waikanae Beach is my favourite place to buy gifts on the coast. A lot of people in my life are having babies at the moment, and they have the cutest range of baby clothes and toys, which makes buying gifts so easy. They also stock a great range of unique clothes and homewares. It’s so nice not to go into Wellington Central anymore to find things I like. 

I think my dream day is a day spent at Paekākāriki Beach. The tide is low, so it’s super safe for swimming. The sand is soft, perfect for building sand castles, and there is the choice of heading to the south end, where there are rock pools to explore, or just lounging around on the sand for the day. I like to stay near the Beach Road entrance so I can pop down to the Paekākāriki Village Grocer and get a Paekākāriki Pop when I need something to cool down. These are locally made ice blocks with the best flavours like Avocado and Lime and Ginger, Lime and Lemongrass.

Ngā Manu Nature Reserve is such a fun day out. My Nana took me there when I was young, so it holds a special place in my heart. There is a lovely bush track where you can see lots of native wildlife along the way, including kiwi, tuatara, kea and even eels. This is a perfect place to take kids, but even as an adult, I enjoy getting my little brown paper bag of bird feed and feeding the ducks, and taking my time to explore.

Kāpiti Island is a very special experience. You can catch a ferry across from Paraparaumu Beach and spend the day there. It’s completely pest-free, so the bird life is incredible. I recommend walking up to Tuteremoana, the summit, but take your time in the beautiful fresh forest air and watch (and listen to) the abundance of native birds. From the top, you get breathtaking 360-degree views. If you have time before your ferry ride back, just sit still and watch the birds; you’ll see takahē, weka and, if you’re lucky, maybe even a kōkako. 

Beach Road Deli has some of the best food on the coast. They do amazing pizzas on Friday nights, but I also love going there for lunch. They make the focaccia for their sandwiches in-house and always have the best vegetarian options. The staff are so friendly; it just creates such a nice atmosphere. If it's sunny, I'll sit outside with my dog and enjoy watching the world go by. 

Every Saturday, there is a vege market at Paraparaumu Beach, where I go for my weekly vege shop. They have a great range of fresh produce and artisan goods such as olive oil, cheese and bread. Afterwards, Seriously Pickled is the perfect lunch stop. Lucinda makes the best range of hearty and healthy deli foods from her cute, tiny deli on Seaview Road. I love her salads and soups and her carrot cake is out of this world.

Penray Gardens in Ōtaki grows a wide variety of fresh produce and offers pick-your-own. When we first started making hot sauce, we would go up there on the weekend and pick our own chillies; they also have strawberries, tomatoes, capsicums and much more. It’s a nice change of pace to pick your own, and if you go on a hot day they have real fruit ice cream on offer, which is the perfect pick-me-up.