Waikawa Beach river mouth- Photo: C Lloyd ©
local activities and attractions
Kapiti Island is a bird reserve and can be visited under conditions controlled by the Department of Conservation. Permits are 
required to visit the Island. These must be booked at least 24 hours beforehand. There is a limit of 50 permits per day so they are often booked well in advance, especially at weekends. If you would like us to apply for permits on your behalf please let us know when you book your stay. Details of the tours are at Kapiti Tours. Southwards Car Museum, 30 minutes away, is world class and has something for all car enthusiasts. Nearby there is a butterfly garden.
15 minutes to Loco - featuring a miniature landscape of 3 towns and interconnecting railways and over 350 dwarf conifers. 15 minutes south will also take you to Waikawa Beach which stretches for miles (on a really crowded day you may see 30 other people!) - or north to Waitarere Beach which has the remains of the shipwreck 'Hydrabad'. Within 20 minutes is the restored Maori Church at Otaki (It was destroyed by fire and has been faithfully replicated). For those with an interest in culinary skills there are 2 cooking schools nearby. 10 minutes south to Ohau and horse trekking with experienced guides is available. Ohau has the Perenara Maori crafts centre.
Levin has an aquatic centre which includes an indoor heated swimming pool. There is also an extensive and well-designed free childrens adventure playground near the Visitor Information Centre. Lake Papaitonga is a great place to view New Zealand birdlife.
20 minutes north at Foxton you can visit the Museum of Audio and Visual Technology or the replica Dutch windmill. Also 20 minutes away, at Shannon, is Owlcatraz - a tourist and educational park featuring some of New Zealand's birds, deer, pigs and other animals.
Golf courses at Levin and Paraparaumu are all within 30 minutes of Serendipity.
Other photgraphs of the area may be viewed in our Bed and Breakfast News Directory listing.