An irresistible taste of Kāpiti-Horowhenua _{by Madelaine Empson}

Kāpiti (Winter 2021)

My husband Dean and I have only really passed through Kāpiti and Horowhenua. We decided to change that fact over a long weekend in winter, setting out to eat our way up and down as many townships as possible. I’m thrilled to say we achieved this noble aim.

It all began on a Friday in Paekākāriki, just 31 minutes by car from our home in Newlands. We felt a change in the air (and an actual lifting of fog) as we left the capital and pulled into Beach Road Deli, clearly a hub for Paekākāriki’s locals. The same was true of the Perching Parrot café, located next door, so we chose both for brekkie. Would’ve been rude not to! We devoured bagels at the sophisticated Beach Road Deli and had a cuppa at the homely Perching Parrot, where we watched the world go by as locals wandered past the window with flowers and ukuleles. What a good vibe.

Sad to leave but with tonnes more to fit in that day, we hopped in the car to Kāpiti Chocolate Factory in Raumati Beach. Sarah offered us gorgeous Kāko truffles, with the mimosa made from ruby chocolate a fizzy favourite of mine. We were allowed a sneaky peek backstage and she sent us on our way with extra treats, but more on that later.

We then headed to Raumati Village, where we found a number of boutique shops. Dean had to drag me away from Milk + Ginger before I added another lush pink jersey to my collection. After lunch at Sunday Cantina, I christened it our local… if only we lived in Raumati South. A girl can dream.

It was then off to our Airbnb in Paraparaumu, which was in walking distance to Koakoa, Te Reo Māori for happiness and the home of Koakoa Limoncello and The Bond Store Gin. We had a blast meeting Chris and distiller Bec. After trying their kawakawa gin (uniquely light on the juniper), their limoncello and its spinoffs, orangecello (“limonello’s drunk cousin”, Chris explained), a velvety limoncello cream, and honeycello, with its delicate but lingering mānuka aftertaste, we invited ourselves over for a BBQ at theirs in the future. But then we tried their L’affare coffee vodka (a punch in the throat in a good way) and took the next step, deciding to become their best friends immediately. After hearing about the sustainability efforts they go to we’ve resolved to move in with them, so Bec and Chris, don’t be alarmed when we show up with suitcases. Do call us for that BBQ, though.

Our next destination was Duncan’s Brewing Co., an independently owned and operated microbrewery. I have to say I was nervous about a craft beer tasting as someone who – er, hates beer… Cellar door coordinator Daniel and second head brewer Shane took us through a wide range of pilsners, IPAs, and stouts that I’d resolved to interview Dean about. Bless him but after he delivered a few analyses in the vein of “good beer” and “this would be a good one for mowing the lawns”, I figured I’d have to give them a go myself. And then my eyes were opened, my palate changed by Duncan’s ‘ice cream sours’. Featuring a distinct vanilla flavour brought out by the addition of lactose, the passion and lime might make me a beer-lover yet.

What better way to end a glorious day than with scrumptious pasta? Off to Soprano Ristorante we tottered for Spaghetti allo Scoglio, with seafood galore in a tomato, white wine, and saffron sauce.

The next day began with a trip to the Paraparaumu Beach Market. Featuring all your farmers’ market staples, plus special touches like ethnic food trucks and even crockery, we enjoyed the eclectic atmosphere here. We took it all in from Dark Horse Coffee Co, where I ordered possibly the best espresso I’ve ever had. Next stop was the excellent Waikanae Community Market, which felt more like a fair with locally made produce on top of books and DVDs, beauty and homeware products.

The next town to discover was Te Horo. We started at the colourful Bus Stop Café, described perfectly by an overheard patron as “bohemian and fabulous”. The café is actually on a bus… that runs, last time owner Kirsty checked! We then popped into Lavender Creek Farm, home to 7000 lavender plants, to say hello to Susi before heading over to Kāpiti Olive Oil. David and Helen produce highly decorated extra virgin olive oil from the 2300 trees in their grove, which we walked through with David as he talked us through the making process. As a special treat, we got to see harvesting in action before Helen held a tasting. I loved their Italian Frantoio (zesty with citrus notes) and the Spanish Picual, herbaceous with a spicy backbone.

We were meant to go out to dinner that night, but with all the goodies the region’s producers had bestowed upon us, we ended up having a picnic of fish, olive oil, and chocolate back at our Airbnb. Sure, it sounds odd, but Waikanae Crab’s smoked fish was melt-in-your-mouth good and elevated everything we ate. It was truffles for dessert, with a white chocolate lemon curd rounding the night off beautifully. Thanks Kāpiti Chocolate Factory!

Sunday began with breakfast at Marine Parade Eatery (more bagels, don’t judge us) and a stroll along the waterfront before we packed up our bags and said goodbye to Paraparaumu. We really wanted to check out the town’s iconic Southward Car Museum, but had to start the Horowhenua leg of our journey. There were some Horowhenua must-dos we couldn’t visit either due to the season, but we found plenty to do in Foxton.

It all started at De Molen Café, which serves exceptional Dutch cuisine with a Kiwi fusion, like pannenkoeken, a big-as-your-plate pancake; uitsmijter, ham, mustard, gouda cheese, and fried eggs on multigrain bread made with the stoneground flour from the windmill next door; and beef croquettes. As well as all that, we somehow fit in a side of fries smothered in rich, thick Dutch mayonnaise. Help! Luckily, Lindsay was waiting over at De Molen Windmill to take our minds off our nigh-exploding stomachs. We loved learning about this 17th century replica Dutch working windmill, unique to the Southern Hemisphere and a great asset to the region, and trying the liquorice from the Dutch market at the base.

De Molen is within the Te Awahou Riverside Cultural Park. Here, we visited Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, featuring the Oranjehof Dutch Connection Centre (which helped to cement our understanding of Foxton’s Dutch heritage) and Piriharakeke, offering immersion into Ngāti Raukawa history, reo, and taonga. There was even live jazz happening while we perused these informative museums.

Foxton is clearly on its way to becoming the number one destination in the Horowhenua Region. Already contributing to this status is MAVtech, the Museum of Audiovisual Technology, where we met museum manager Jim and volunteer Peter for a private tour that evening. Displaying a huge collection of all things movies and music, we had a ball operating a mechanical piano and pretending to operate the 1930s-40s Carbon Arc 35-milimetre projectors MAVtech uses to screen old films on the last Friday of every month in their 200-seat theatre. See you there!

It seemed like we ran into every man and his dog at Ollie’s Bar and Eatery on Waitarere Beach, and we quickly found out why. We demolished a kilo of fresh mussels and a confit chicken leg with creamy bacon potato mash from the chef’s special menu. “Wow” doesn’t begin to cut it.

Our unique accommodation that night was in a cellar door in Hokio Beach. We walked into Celtic Winery at 8pm to a roaring fire and Malcolm kindly arrived soon after for a late-night private tasting of their fruit wine, made with “everything but grapes”. From feijoa to black doris plum wine, honey mead to ginger whisky made in the old Celtic tradition, it was a pleasure to try these organic, natural drops.

And so dawned the last day of our adventure, which we started by making good on the phrase eat play stay at Levin Adventure Park. This rainbow-coloured kids’ paradise features a flying fox, mini train, and countless fun playground rides for all ages – including the grownups, apparently!

It was then off to Ōtaki for a generous breakfast at the bustling RiverStone Café. With an all-day breakfast and all-day lunch menu, plus an overflowing cabinet, you could satisfy any craving here. It was time for discount shops galore, like Bendon and Kathmandu, but this town’s not just about the big names. We delighted in little boutiques too.

Our final stop on the way home was Wellington Tramway Museum, one of the highlights of the whole trip. Run entirely by volunteers, this museum houses and restores the old trams of Wellington, which you can ride through Queen Elizabeth Park on weekends and public holidays. Alan took us on a wonderful tour through the exhibition space and depot before we boarded tram #260. I got to ride on the front platform with the driver Trevor, though I didn’t dare trying any levers...

Because of its microclimate, we were able to visit not one, not two, but three Kāpiti beaches, plus the expansive Foxton Beach. When I complained to the locals about navigating sand tornadoes on Wellington’s beaches, one responded knowingly, “ah yes, our beaches aren’t just for looking at”. Driving back into Newlands where a thick cloud of cold mist welcomed us home, we thought longingly of those beaches, that weather, the peaceful vibes, those amazing artisan producers. I’m not saying I don’t love Wellington, I’m just saying… real estate agents of Kāpiti-Horowhenua, give us a bell!