Paraparaumu Beach – Buy
My intention was to photograph the sun setting beyond Kapiti Island on the West Coast of the North Island. It was a lovely clear evening and to the north the coast stretched up all the way up to the coastal communities of Peka Peka, Ōtaki and Waitārere Beach. To the south, in the distance the coastline reached Raumati South, Paekākāriki before linking into Pukerua Bay.
Paraparaumu Beach – Buy
After spending the day in the small North Island coastal town of Paraparaumu I finished the day with a walk on the beach. Feel quite content having been fed and watered at local restaurant, I let the meal digest over a beer at a nearby bar before wandering back to me accommodation via the beach.
Kapiti Island Shoreline – Buy
Some years ago, I had the pleasure to spend a day on Kapiti Island. Being a nature reserve, it lies 5 kilometers off the West Coast of the North Island, at Paraparaumu. Often visited by Maori, before europeans sailors arrived, at one point it was a busy whaling and sheep station that was then turned over to the government and made into a predator-free, bird sanctuary. For over 100 years it has been managed by the New Zealand Government in order to protect its flora and fauna.
Paraparaumu Beach and Kapiti Island – Buy
Looking out from Paraparaumu Beach, across to Kapiti Island and the setting sun, I recalled recently reading that back in the 1830’s, whales migrated with their young through the channel between the Island and the shore. It would have been marvellous to see. I also recall reading that the channel provided a sheltered anchorage for ships and several shore-based whaling stations operated near-by, which explains why you don’t see whales in the area any more!
Paraparaumu Beach– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery
As far as good beaches for walking goes, Paraparaumu Beach has to be right up there. On a warm evening as the sunset’s beyond the horizon with the tide out you can walk with no particular purpose admiring all the colours in the sky.