Plan a spring escape for the Kāpiti Coast Art Trail 2026
7 Jul 2026
The much-loved Kāpiti Coast Art Trail is returning in 2026 with new timing designed to make the most of Labour Weekend, inviting visitors to experience the region's vibrant creative community while enjoying everything the Coast has to offer.
Running across two weekends, the Art Trail runs earlier than usual taking place from 24–26 October (Labour Weekend) and 31 October–1 November 2026, giving art lovers five days to explore 117 sites and 140 artists from Paekākāriki to Ōtaki.
A long-standing favourite on the regional events calendar, the Kāpiti Coast Art Trail is run by Kāpiti Coast District Council. It has grown steadily over the past 26 years, attracting thousands of visitors who come to discover local artists, explore studios and galleries, and immerse themselves in the unique creative spirit of the Coast.
Dianna Fary, long-standing Kāpiti Coast artist, working and displaying her art at her studio in the historic Holtom's Building.
Manager Climate Action and Connected Communities, Monique Engelen, says shifting the event to include Labour Weekend creates an exciting opportunity to attract more visitors and encourage longer stays.
"The Art Trail is one of our signature events and a fantastic showcase of the creativity, talent and character that make our district so special.
"By moving it to start at Labour Weekend, we're making it even easier for people to plan a spring getaway to come and visit family and friends, get amongst it on the Art Trail, and experience everything the Kāpiti Coast has to offer.
"Events like the Art Trail bring significant benefits to our local economy. Visitors stay a few nights, dine in our cafés and restaurants, shop locally and discover attractions across the district. It's a wonderful opportunity to support local artists and businesses while enjoying the creativity on offer."
The self-guided Art Trail gives visitors the chance to meet artists in their studios, garages and gardens, hear the stories behind their work, and discover art inspired by the landscapes, communities and culture of the Kāpiti Coast. The 2026 programme features a mix of new and returning artists working across a diverse range of disciplines including painting, ceramics, photography, drawing, design and mixed media.
For more information and updates, visit www.kapiticoastarttrail.co.nz.
Dianna Fary, long-standing Kāpiti Coast artist, working and displaying her art at her studio in the historic Holtom's Building.
A sneak-peek of some of our 2026 artists
Among the new faces is contemporary Māori artist and designer Aria Hinewai Te-Hei Parker (Raumati South). Working across disciplines, her recent collection Pourama explores the cultural relationship between Te Ao Māori and light. As a descendant of a long line of tohunga and creatives, Parker describes her drive to create as “deeply woven into her whakapapa.”
Returning artist Morag Stokes (Waikanae) continues to explore the intersection of art and science. Her contemporary drawings in graphite and Chinese ink on Yupo paper have seen her selected six times as a finalist in the prestigious Parkin Drawing Prize, with her work Ostinato receiving a High Commendation in 2024.
Also featured is Dianna Fary, a member of the Paekākāriki art collective and a long-standing Kāpiti Coast artist working from her studio in the historic Holtom's Building. Her paintings explore nature's elemental forces through dynamic colour and expressive brushwork, capturing the ever-changing beauty of the natural world.
In the Nikau Valley, photographer and woodwork artist Karolina Stus explores the human connection to nature. Her landscape photography is painterly and immersive, inviting reflection on environmental change, the passage of time, and the hazy contours of memory.
The immaculate and serene landscapes of painter, designer and calligrapher Philip Markham will also feature in this year’s Trail. A recipient of numerous awards, Markham was honoured with the New Zealand Governor-General Art Award in 2000 for high attainment in painting.
The Art Trail also celebrates the enduring contribution of ceramic artist Jennifer Turnbull, who has participated in the Art Trail for more than 20 years. With more than 35 years of practice, she creates vessel-based works in high-fired porcelain and stoneware, combining wheel-throwing and hand-building techniques. Inspired by her garden, the surrounding landscape and the flora of Aotearoa, particularly the Kāpiti Coast, her work reflects a strong sense of place.