Who We Are

The Paekākāriki Station Precinct Trust was formed in 1993 by a group of people from the local community, who were concerned about the very fast decline of Paekākāriki’s rail heritage. The primary objective was and remains to ensure that 1909 built railway station was saved from destruction. To achieve this goal, the Paekākāriki Station Precinct Trust was formed and work commenced on a complete rebuild of the dilapidated station interior. The completion of this major reconstruction work saw the Paekākāriki Rail and Heritage Museum opened in 1995.

Paekākāriki is a North Island Main Trunk railway town, which is very rich in history. During the early years, the town was occupied by the private Wellington & Manawatu Railway Company employees until the Government took over the line in 1908, and the staff were transferred to become NZR personnel. The first school was built in 1886 with the coming of the Railway and the Surf Club was established in the early days by railway people.

Our Mission

The Trust aims to preserve and restore Paekakariki Railway Station and Signal Box and to have these buildings open for members of the public to view.

To encourage and promote community participation in the use of the station.

To foster an interest in the heritage artefacts and history of the area by displaying objects and telling their stories.

To offer another attraction on the Kapiti Coast and encourage visitors to the village.

To create a library of reference books about the area including Railways, Marines and Iwi in our Archive Room as a community resource.

To create an Arts Walk that connects the village with the Station Museum and promotes local artists and writers who live or have lived in the village.