Kāpiti Coast District Council Kāpiti Coast District Council
Search
  • Home
  • Rohe | District
  • Kaunihera | Council
  • Ratonga | Services
  • Ngā Kaupapa | What's On
  • Whakapā mai | Contact
  • Rohe | District
    • Aquatics
    • Beaches
    • Doing business in Kāpiti
    • Maps
    • Our community
    • Our Kāpiti
    • Visiting Kāpiti
    • Arts and culture
    • Civil Defence | Emergency Management
    • Libraries
    • Open spaces
    • Our environment
    • Mana Whenua
    • Aquatics
    • Arts and culture
    • Beaches
    • Civil Defence | Emergency Management
    • Doing business in Kāpiti
    • Libraries
    • Maps
    • Open spaces
    • Our community
    • Our environment
    • Our Kāpiti
    • Mana Whenua
    • Visiting Kāpiti
  • Kaunihera | Council
    • The role of Council
    • Our elected members
    • Our vision and direction
    • Documents
    • Projects
    • Partners
    • Our awards for environmental care
    • Central government reforms
    • Executive management
    • Meetings
    • Delivering for Kāpiti
    • Planning
    • Job vacancies
    • Local elections
    • Official Information Requests
    • Support for Whangārei
    • The role of Council
    • Executive management
    • Our elected members
    • Meetings
    • Our vision and direction
    • Delivering for Kāpiti
    • Documents
    • Planning
    • Projects
    • Job vacancies
    • Partners
    • Local elections
    • Our awards for environmental care
    • Official Information Requests
    • Central government reforms
    • Support for Whangārei
  • Ratonga | Services
    • A–Z council services and facilities
    • A–Z council services and facilities
  • Ngā Kaupapa | What's on
    • News
    • Everything Kāpiti e-newsletter
    • Calendar of meetings and forums
    • Kāpiti Schools Sports Programme
    • News archive
    • Have your say
    • Things to do in Kāpiti
    • Follow us
    • News
    • News archive
    • Everything Kāpiti e-newsletter
    • Have your say
    • Calendar of meetings and forums
    • Things to do in Kāpiti
    • Kāpiti Schools Sports Programme
    • Follow us
  • Whakapā mai | Contact
    • Contact us
    • Follow us
    • About this website
    • Official Information Requests
    • Council facilities opening hours
    • Antenno
    • Social Media terms of use
    • Online service request / Complaints
    • Contact us
    • Council facilities opening hours
    • Follow us
    • Antenno
    • About this website
    • Social Media terms of use
    • Official Information Requests
    • Online service request / Complaints
Search
Close
Hit enter to search or ESC to close
HomeRohe | DistrictBeachesSwimming at the beach
Rohe | District
  • Aquatics
  • Arts and culturekeyboard_arrow_down
  • Beacheskeyboard_arrow_up
    • Looking after our beaches
    • Swimming at the beach
    • Vehicles on the beach
    • Dogs on the beach
    • Horses on the beach
    • Fires on the beach
    • Boating
    • Fishing off the beach
    • Whitebaiting
  • Civil Defence | Emergency Managementkeyboard_arrow_down
  • Doing business in Kāpitikeyboard_arrow_down
  • Libraries
  • Maps
  • Open spaceskeyboard_arrow_down
  • Our communitykeyboard_arrow_down
  • Our environmentkeyboard_arrow_down
  • Our Kāpitikeyboard_arrow_down
  • Mana Whenuakeyboard_arrow_down
  • Visiting Kāpitikeyboard_arrow_down

Swimming at the beach

Our beaches are generally very safe for swimming. You can find out more about each beach at Kāpiti beaches.

Paekākāriki and Ōtaki beaches have surf life guards on duty at times, and it's safest to follow their directions.

Swimming and bodysurfing are the only activities permitted between the flags.

Check the Facebook pages for Paekākāriki Surf Lifeguards, and Ōtaki Surf Lifesaving Club for information about their patrols.

Recreational water quality | Swim well clear of boat launching zones | General tips 

Recreational water quality

We regularly monitor our beaches in partnership with Greater Wellington Regional Council.

Kāpiti's water cleanliness is generally safe for swimming and other water-based recreational activities, but we recommend regularly checking if it's safe to swim on the interactive map on LAWA's website. 

It's always a good idea to wait 48 hours after heavy rain before you swim again. More information can be found at Recreational water quality.


Swim well clear of boat launching zones

It's hard for boaties to see heads bobbing in the waves as they're launching and landing their boats, so make sure your swimming spot is well clear of our designated boat launching zones. 

Greater Wellington's Wellington Regional Navigation Safety Bylaws 2021 require swimmers to be at least 50 metres away from any boat ramp or designated boat launching area (see 2.2 of the bylaws). You can see where the boat launching zones are on our Access ways and driving zones on the beach foreshore map. 

We'd hate for anyone to get hurt, so take care, and stay aware of vehicles and boats using the launching areas and boat ramps!


General tips

When swimming at our beaches, remember:

  • check www.lawa.org.nz for the latest water quality alerts
  • don't swim at stream- and river-mouths during hot summer months
  • keep out of any water that's murky or smells unpleasant
  • avoid swimming near stormwater outlets on our beaches, or other possible sources of contamination
  • check for hazards such as strong currents, tidal rips, or steep drop offs
  • know your limits, and never swim alone
  • always keep small children within arm’s length.

Related links
  • Coastal Management Strategy[PDF 2.06 MB]
  • Beach Bylaw
  • Surf Lifesaving New Zealand
  • Wellington Regional Navigation Safety Bylaws 2021

Hot topics

  • Grants, funding and awards
  • Maps
  • Public forum at Council
  • Recycling and rubbish
  • Sources and consumption rates
  • Recreational water quality

Quick links

  • Alcohol licences
  • Civil defence
  • Sports ground status
  • District Plan
  • Responses to Official Information Requests

Services & information

  • A–Z of services and facilities
  • Service status
  • Job vacancies
  • Information for businesses
  • Property information
  • Maps
  • Kāpiti Coast destination website

Get in touch  facebook  Instagram  Youtube

shielded

Kāpiti Coast District Council
175 Rimu Road
Private Bag 60601
Paraparaumu 5254

Phone: 04 296 4700
Toll free: 0800 486 486
Fax: 04 296 4830
[email protected]

page rip
© Copyright 2023 Kāpiti Coast District Council
SitemapAbout this websiteAccessibilityLegal Notices
NZ Government logo