The Kāpiti Coast is Wellington’s beachy back garden: a long string of seaside towns looking out at Kāpiti Island, the predator-free sanctuary where the birds carry on like it’s still a thousand years ago. Paraparaumu anchors it, Paekākāriki holds the bohemian end, and the beaches run the length of the lot.

The expressway has changed the game, turning the commute into the capital from a slog into something manageable, which has only added to the appeal for retirees and Wellington workers alike. It’s relaxed, it’s coastal, and it offers a lifestyle the city can’t, within reach of the city’s pay packets.

There are 21 suburbs and localities across the district. This page gathers them so you can compare properly: who lives where, what you’ll pay, how the schools sit, and how the commute actually works now the road’s sorted.

Beaches, birds and a bearable run to the capital. Pick a suburb and have a look.