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 | DistrictOur KāpitiMuseums
Rohe | District
  • Aquatics
  • Arts and culturekeyboard_arrow_down
  • Beacheskeyboard_arrow_down
  • 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_up
    • Our District's history
    • Heritage
    • Museums
    • Kāpiti Island
    • Population and demographics
    • District webcams
    • Kāpiti Coast Airport
    • EV charging network
  • Mana Whenuakeyboard_arrow_down
  • Visiting Kāpitikeyboard_arrow_down

Museums

The Kāpiti Coast District is home to numerous national and international-class museums.


Volunteers welcome

Do you like history and heritage, and love museums? Maybe you have experience working in museums or in the care of specialist collections? 

Why not contact a museum to see if you can volunteer with its operation, care of collections and future development?


Ōtaki Museum

Absorbing exhibitions featuring the history of the local district of Ōtaki and Te Horo on display, changing throughout the year.

Museum location: 49 Main Street, Ōtaki
Museum website: www.otakimuseum.co.nz


The Kāpiti Coast Museum

A wonderful collection of colonial settler life, including a 1930s kitchen, a colonial schoolroom and barnyard. Changing exhibitions throughout the year. Click on the website link below for more information on the museum, take a virtual tour, and lookup collection details in their online database.

Museum location: 9 Elizabeth Street, Waikanae
Museum website: kapiticoastmuseum.org.nz
Museum Facebook page: www.facebook.com/kapiticoastmuseum/


The Southward Car Museum

A selection of vehicles on show from one of the largest and most comprehensive privately owned collections of veteran and vintage cars and motorcyles in the Southern Hemisphere. Landscaped gardens and lake including a bush walk.

There are regular theatre and music performances. Conference and exhibition facilities are available. Refreshments available from the gift shop.  Watch for the annual Open House and Auto Jumble Sale Days, advertised on their website and in the press..

Museum location: Otaihanga Road, off SH1, Between Waikanae and Paraparaumu
Museum website: www.southwardcarmuseum.co.nz 


The Museum of Aviation

The Museum of Aviation features displays of New Zealand and pioneer history, general aviation. Paraparaumu airport (now known as Kāpiti Coast Airport) was the busiest airport in New Zealand in the 1940s-1950s.

The museum also has the propellor from the Caudron aircraft flown by Will Scotland on the first sustained flight in the Wellington district, on 29 January 1914. 

Museum location: Paraparaumu Airport, Kāpiti Road, Paraparaumu (Next to the Airport Control Tower)
Museum website: Museum of Aviation on the NZMuseums website


Wellington Tramway Museum

Operates a vintage tram service from the McKays Crossing entrance, travelling 1.85 kms to Whareroa Beach and playground area. Ride the trams that once served the public of Wellington. Historical photo display.

Set in Queen Elizabeth park, there are walks, the US Marines memorial to explore as well. Refreshments available from the gift shop.

See www.wellingtontrams.org.nz for more about this unique museum and details about its opening hours and admission charges.

Museum location: Queen Elizabeth Park, McKays Crossing entrance, Paekākāriki

Museum website: www.wellingtontrams.org.nz


Steam Incorporated

Relive the days of steam train travel, with these lovingly restored trains on show.

Special trips and train tours are advertised on their website and in the newspapers. 

There are also open days where you can explore the workshops and discover more about these wonderful engines, their restoration and operation.

For more details on excursions, and museum opening hours, see www.steaminc.org.nz

Museum location: SH1, Paekākāriki (just north of the railway station)
Museum website: www.steaminc.org.nz


Paekākāriki Station Museum

The museum features displays of railway memorabilia, implement sheds with tools, an early kitchen, local Māori history, historical Paekākāriki photographs, and second Marine Division mementos. Click on the link below for more information on opening hours. Free entry, donations welcome.

Museum location: Railway Station, Main Highway, Paekākāriki
Museum website: www.stationmuseum.co.nz


Mahara Gallery

As the District's Public Gallery, Mahara Gallery has an annual programme of high-calibre curated exhibitions and provides opportunities for Kāpiti Coast artists to exhibit. 

The gallery, located in Mahara Place in Waikanae, is operated by the Mahara Gallery Trust and receives funding from the Council. 

Mahara Gallery is currently undergoing a major upgrade – see Mahara Gallery upgrade for more on this project. 

Gallery location: 20 Mahara Place, Waikanae
Gallery website: www.maharagallery.org.nz


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