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Paraparaumu

Kāpiti Coast DistrictPages with Māori IPAParaparaumuPopulated places in the Wellington RegionUse New Zealand English from June 2023
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Paraparaumu (Māori: [ˈpaɾapaˈɾaʉmʉ]) is a town in the south-western North Island of New Zealand. It lies on the Kāpiti Coast, 55 kilometres (34 mi) north of the nation's capital city, Wellington. It is also known to residents as Pram or Paraparam. Like other towns in the area, it has a partner settlement at the coast called Paraparaumu Beach, which is directly opposite Kapiti Island. The two towns form part of the Kāpiti Coast District. Together with the nearby Raumati Beach and Raumati South they are among the fastest-growing urban areas in New Zealand, and are major dormitory towns with workers commuting to the cities that make up the Wellington urban area. The four towns between them have a 2012 population of over 49,000 people. Inland behind Paraparaumu is the Maungakotukutuku area. Paraparaumu is a Māori-language name meaning "scraps from an earth oven"; parapara means "dirt" or "scraps", and umu means "oven". The village of Lindale is just north of the Paraparaumu town centre. It began as a Tourist and Agricultural Centre, but later gained a reputation for cheese and the Lindale Barnyard petting farm. The old State Highway 1 and the Kapiti Line section of the North Island Main Trunk railway both pass through Lindale. The railway line was formerly owned by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, and construction of the line was completed when the ends from Wellington and Longburn (Palmerston North) met near Lindale in Otaihanga in 1886. There were proposals to extend the commuter train service operated by Transdev Wellington to a new station at Lindale, subject to Wellington Regional Council funding, but these were dropped when electrification for the commuter service was extended from Paraparaumu to Waikanae. The majority of shops are located close to the town centre in the Coastlands Mall, close to the train station.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Paraparaumu (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Paraparaumu
Kapiti Road,

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
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Wikipedia: ParaparaumuContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N -40.914444444444 ° E 175.00555555556 °
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Address

Kapiti Road 16
5032
Wellington, New Zealand
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Waikanae River
Waikanae River

Waikanae River is located on the Kāpiti Coast in the North Island of New Zealand. The river drains the western flanks of the Tararua Ranges around Reikorangi and the Akatarawa Valley, then passes to the south of the town of Waikanae to the north of the river and Otaihanga/ Paraparaumu to the south before entering the Tasman Sea at Waikanae - Paraparaumu Beach. Tributaries include the Maungakotukutuku Stream, Ngatiawa River, and Reikorangi Stream. The estuary of the river is a significant reserve providing shelter and habitat for local and migratory seabirds. It also provides a major recreational location, both for residents and tourists. Walking and cycling tracks are present on both sides of the river, leading from Waikanae Beach and Otaihanga Domain to the old state highway bridge just south Waikanae. Water up to a maximum amount is taken out of the river as water supply for Waikanae and Paraparaumu. This sometimes leads to water restrictions if the river runs low, however in January 2005 the river burst its banks after heavy rain. The river has good water quality and high aquatic biodiversity, but there are occasional blooms of toxic cyanobacteria after prolonged periods of low flow during hot, dry weather.There have been multiple instances in earlier years (2020, 2021) where the river back has burst, leading to several floods in the elevated areas south of the river. It came with heavy rainfall and heavy storms and cyclones in the area.The estuary of the Waikanae River is ever changing, with major and minor storms disrupting the banks and causing it to change shape. Prior to storms in 2016/17, the river seamlessly transitioned into the sea, but after storms, long sandbars and banks have caused the river to take an winding path to reach the Tasman Sea.