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Kapiti Island seen from Waikanae Beach, New Zealand. Photograph taken in February 2000 by James Dignan.
View towards Kapiti Island from Hemi Matenga Park, Waikanae.
Waikanae Beach area, Kāpiti Coast, lower North Island, Aotearoa New Zealand
Photo by The original uploader was Grutness at English Wikipedia.
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OceaniaNew ZealandWellington Region

Waikanae

Wellington Region, New Zealand · Oceania

About Waikanae

Waikanae is worth a stop: 10 minutes from Paraparaumu, 51km from Mount Victoria Lookout, Wellington.

Waikanae is in Wellington Region, New Zealand, with about 14,000 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Paraparaumu, about 6 km away.

Waikanae (English: , Māori pronunciation: [ˈwaikaˈnae] ) is a town on the Kāpiti Coast, 60 km (37 mi) north of the Wellington, New Zealand. The name is a Māori word meaning "waters" (wai) "of the grey mullet". The area surrounding the town is notable for its 2.4-kilometre-long (1.5 mi) beach, the Waikanae River

Read more estuary, the Kapiti Marine Reserve, and Kapiti Island, which lies 4 km (2.5 mi) offshore in the Tasman Sea. The town is considered one of the top retirement destinations in the Wellington Region, because of it having year-round mild temperatures, moderate rainfall, and less wind than Wellington. The town is 8 km (5.0 mi) northeast of Paraparaumu, and 15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of Ōtaki. The Waikanae railway station is the northernmost station in the Metlink passenger rail network, linking with Wellington railway station in Central Wellington.

Read more on Wikipedia

Where to Stay in Waikanae

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is there to see near Waikanae?

Within an hour or so of Waikanae: Southward Car Museum (3 km), Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (51 km), Mount Victoria Lookout, Wellington (51 km), Weta Workshop, Miramar, Wellington (51 km).

Are there any good drives near Waikanae?

The nearest famous roads are Queen Charlotte Drive.

Where is Waikanae?

Waikanae is in Wellington Region, New Zealand, about 6 km from Paraparaumu.

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Quick Information

Population
13,600
Continent
Oceania
Country
New Zealand
Region
Wellington Region
Timezone
Pacific/Auckland
Coordinates
-40.8833, 175.0667

Emergency & Services

Essential numbers in New Zealand

Police
111
Ambulance
111
Fire
111
Non-emergency police
105
Driving side
left

Many rural bridges are single-lane. Give way as signed.

Full driving guide for New Zealand

Tags

OceaniaNew ZealandWellington RegionTown

Worth the detour from Waikanae

4 notable places within an hour's drive.

museum

Southward Car Museum

One of the Southern Hemisphere's largest collections with over 400 vehicles spanning a century of motoring.

3 km · about 5 min drive

museum

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

New Zealand's bold national museum, renowned for its interactive exhibits, Maori taonga, and a colossal squid specimen.

51 km · about 60 min drive

scenic viewpoint

Mount Victoria Lookout, Wellington

196 m summit lookout reached by a sealed road above central Wellington, giving a panorama of the harbour and Cook Strait.

51 km · about 60 min drive

film location

Weta Workshop, Miramar, Wellington

The effects house behind Middle-earth; its Wellington workshop tour displays original props, weapons and creature designs.

51 km · about 60 min drive

Driving roads near Waikanae

  • 51 kmMount Victoria Lookout, Wellington196 m summit lookout reached by a sealed road above central Wellington, giving a panorama of the harbour and Cook Strait.

Nearby Destinations

Other places to explore near Waikanae.

Paraparaumu

🇳🇿 New Zealand

6 km awayPop. 29,900

Raumati Beach

🇳🇿 New Zealand

8 km awayPop. 5,390

Whitby

🇳🇿 New Zealand

29 km awayPop. 12,230

Porirua

🇳🇿 New Zealand

33 km awayPop. 61,500

Stokes Valley

🇳🇿 New Zealand

34 km awayPop. 10,770

Avalon

🇳🇿 New Zealand

37 km awayPop. 5,590

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Data sources:GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)•Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)•Mapbox•Photography: George Lawrence