SKY HIGH: The view of Kapiti Island during sunset from the Kapiti Heliworx chopper. Photo: Cloe Willetts
SKY HIGH: The view of Kapiti Island during sunset from the Kapiti Heliworx chopper. Photo: Cloe Willetts
Cloe Willetts spent the weekend showing her international guest through some of Kapiti's many flourishing tourism hot spots.
You'll never fully understand the beauty of New Zealand's iconic Kapiti Island until you've hovered above its peak at sunset, as the sky falls in early evening pastels and the tips of native trees gather as silhouettes.
It's a Saturday evening as we trail the rolling slopes by helicopter, taking in the sights of sea and an island more than 200 million years old.
I've visited Kapiti Island like many locals, who travelled to the pest-free sanctuary by boat to hike its spiraling tracks and witness the array of preserved bird life.
Tonight though, accompanied by the professional services of local pilot and Kapiti Heliworx owner Dennis Young, a friend and I are taking in the sights as part of a Kapiti Island Scenic Tour.
The 18-minute Kapiti Heliworx tour, one of a collection of short distance, day-long and overnight services departing from Paraparaumu airport, is the quickest and most exciting way to grasp the coast's most picturesque views.
My friend, an Irish native who is visiting Kapiti for the first time, leans over me to soak in the hills through the glass, while pre-recorded audio plays through our headsets and details the island's rich ancestral and eco history.
Below us, the checkers of rooftops have been replaced by endless sea.
The stunning views have overshadowed any pre-flight nerves for my height-conscious counterpart, who describes the experience as one of the best he's had during his two years in New Zealand.
Kapiti's backdrop of beaches and calm pace is a refreshingly tranquil step away from Christchurch's concrete jungle he says, where, like many international travelers, he's working to help rebuild the city.
Already, a day into a weekend of local activities, he has fallen for the charm of the Wellington region's thriving coastal township.
Eventually, the drop-off point comes into sight as we prepare to land on Raumati Beach, which has gathered a small crowd of locals eager to fill their cameras with sunlit helicopter snaps.
It's not our usual pre-dinner entrance but it'll make for a memorable one. We walk the few steps from the beach to one of Kapiti's long running restaurants The Waterfront Bar.
FRESH: The Waterfront co-owner Ricardo Reis in action at the newly renovated Kapiti Coast restaurant and bar. Photo: Maggie Mouat, Luvly.
Taken over last year by passionate foodies and locals Ricardo Reis, Blair Nicholl and Kate Whiting, the restaurant's recent revamp has added contemporary sophistication to a naturally laid back setting.
Alex, a proficient young waiter dressed in a tidy collared shirt, directs us to a window table spilling now-lower sights of Kapiti Island.
Flooding us with delicious tropical cocktails and a three course meal, he makes the time to mention that, like many locally owned dining spots, the restaurant's focus is on local ingredients.
The evening kicks off well with the arrival of the Waterfront Plate, a platter filled with a selection of cold meats, cheese, pickles and breads and dips.
It's going to be my favourite course of the evening, I decide.
Regionally caught fish follows, served on a pea and bacon risotto and adorned with burned butter and capers, along with the restaurant's vegetarian option, the Fresh Bongusto Casarecce.
Crammed with roasted kumara and toasted pinenuts, the generously sized dish is topped with sage butter and pecorino cheese.
Mellow background music flows with the conversation as we chat over chilled champagne and the flickering of candlelight, enjoying our final courses of warm sticky date pudding and a creamy affogato and Baileys concoction.
CUISINE: The Waterfront's fresh Bongusto Casarecce dish, served with roasted kumara, toasted pinenuts, sage butter and pecorino cheese. Photo: Cloe Willetts
By the time we finish our last drinks for the evening it's nearing 10pm and, drawn into a relaxed daze, we head to our accommodation.
Conveniently, the resort is located across the road and greets us with the glow of lit-up palm trees.
Raumati Sands Resort, boasting 20 two-story apartments as well as a set of new owners, overlooks Kapiti's neighbouring bowling club and Marine Gardens Reserve, footsteps from the Raumati Beach shopping strip.
Encased with rising palm trees and upper level balconies, the complex is a private and spacious urban haven, set off by the addition of an outdoor heated pool and hot tub.
In the morning, refreshed and ready for a day's exploring of Kapiti's bush tracks and quirky suburban coffee spots, I contemplate taking a moment longer to stretch out over the outside furniture, or to enjoy the sizable ensuite bath.
But time is of the essence because this afternoon we have beer tasting to tend to. Tuatara, New Zealand's multi-award winning craft beer brand, is among a collection of entrepreneurial successes in Kapiti.
HAVEN: Raumati Sands Resort.
In what began as a backyard operation for founder Carl Vasta from his Waikanae home, the brand quickly spiralled, going on to fill both national and international markets.
And, according to an Irishman who is new to the many tastes, aromas and potencies of Tuatara, he can see why.
As we test a series of styles inside the brewery's Tasting Room, Carl answers my questions with quiet modesty, despite having collected a stream of awards including over 20 gold titles.
As part of the Tasting Room experience, visitors learn about the beer brewing process, as well as the varying styles and origins of Tuatara's most popular blends.
Alongside a tasting tray of four must-try beers, guests are given four small food courses, made in-house from local produce and married with each taster.
With plans to seek out a dinner spot in Waikanae tonight, close to our new accommodation, we say goodbye to Carl and the buzz of the brewery's filling courtyard.
But as it's an unusually dark Sunday for the coast, we decide to pick up takeaways instead and head in for a peaceful night at Waikanae's Te Nikau Forest Retreat, a self-contained holiday home nestled amongst soaring native bush.
Owned by locals Elizabeth and Bryan Couchman, the wooden retreat is characterised by high curved roofs, with pockets of glass for nightime star gazing and large barn doors that open out to private decking and a sheltered spa area.
The track towards the two-story bach takes us into a world that suddenly feels miles away from anyone or anywhere else, the strikingly unfamiliar silence only broken by the trickling of a neighbouring stream and birdlife.
PRIVATE: Te Nikau Forest Retreat offers relaxed tranquility.
Until now, I hadn't realised how greatly I needed to escape, to rest in front of the large open fireplace or to watch an old movie under fresh fluffy bedding, overlooking the greenery.
With a bottle of the award-winning Ohau Gravels Pinot Gris 2009 left for us as a welcome gift, we fill our glasses and head outside to the spa, which is illuminated with the glow of red lights and hanging candles.
The sound of birdlife has eased but the stream continues with its gentle flow, which is momentarily drowned out by the clinking of wine glasses.
The sky is black and the warmth of the water counteracts the fresh night-time chill and, as hours of conversation passes, the evening again pulls us into a relaxed bed-ready daze.
"I'd never guess a place like this would exist in Kapiti," he tells me.
I suppose you can never fully understand the beauty of a place until you've hovered through its sunset or dined on ingredients from its soil, or slept among its trees.
