Focus Weekend: West Coast, 7th - 8th November 2026
The 2026 Wellington Heritage Festival takes place over 23 days, including 4 weekends, between 24th October - 15th November, with events happening across Te Upoko-o-te-Ika / Greater Wellington. Each weekend, we shine a spotlight on a different area, highlighting some of the fantastic events taking place there, to make planning your festival easy and breezy. For the third weekend of the festival, we are showcasing events in the Kāpiti Coast and Porirua from Saturday 7th - Sunday 8th November.
With our Focus Weekends, you can enjoy a whole range of fascinating, nearby heritage events in a single weekend by minimising travel time and maximising your experience. Whether you’re interested in walking tours, creative heritage, or unique historical insights, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Be sure to keep an eye on our website and social media for our final Focus Weekend blog post still to come! You can read our Pōneke Focus Weekend blog post here and our Hutt Valley Focus Weekend blog post here.
Discover the Heritage of the Kāpiti Coast, Porirua, and Tawa
From aviation history to Shakespeare, beehive kilns to tram rides, there’s something for everyone during the weekend of 7 – 8 November along the West Coast. Below are just some of the many events taking place in the area – to find out everything that’s happening in the Kāpiti Coast, Porirua, and Tawa for this year’s festival, go to the events page on our website and filter your search by region.
Saturday 7th November 2026
An exhibition about the development of Ōtaki town from 1921 to 1989 10am-2pm | Main Street, Ōtaki | Free – Find out more Cast your vote, then come to the historic BNZ building and see stories from the years of the Ōtaki Borough Council – a reminder that echoes of the past can be heard in events of the present.
Depot Open Day 10am-2pm | State Highway 59, Paekākāriki | Free – Find out more Look up close at steam and diesel locos and their vintage wooden and steel-bodied carriages. Friendly volunteers will show you around the workshops and tell you about some of the major restoration projects in progress.
Home Entertainment in Days Gone By 12-3pm + one other time | Elizabeth Street, Waikanae | Free – Find out more Listen to old music players and radios which were the centre of home entertainment last century, in the days before digital streaming! You’ll see the Edison phonograph, gramophones, valve radios and more.
The Lives and Families behind Eleven Pāuatahanui Graves 2-3pm | Paremata-Haywards Road, Pāuatahanui | Koha – Find out more Listen to Leigh Savage share stories of eleven ancestors who lie in St. Joseph’s and St. Albans. Learn about the interlinked families and iwi of the region, and the historic figures who settled in Pāuatahanui.
Sunday 8th November 2026
Tram Rides 11am-4pm + one other time | Mackays Crossing, Paekākāriki | $6– Find out more Ride a vintage Wellington tram in Paekākāriki! See trams that are over 100 years old, including the old Kelburn Cable Car which features an old horse tram from 1886, and look at the films and historical photos on display.
Talk: The Expatriates: Frances Hodgkins, Peter Campbell, Graham Percy 2-3pm | Mahara Place, Waikanae | Free | Booking required – Book now Join Toi MAHARA curator Vicki Robson on a tour of paintings and drawings by three artists – Frances Hodgkins, Peter Campbell and Graham Percy – who left New Zealand to make a name for themselves overseas.
Shakespeare Delights: Scenes from several plays 2-4pm | Health Camp Road, Ōtaki Beach | $20 | Booking required – Book now Learn about the history of the Ōtaki Rotunda and its restoration process – then stay for an engaging hour of extracts from three Shakespeare plays performed on the centre stage in this unique setting!
Halfway House Heritage Garden self-guided tour Any time during the festival | Middleton Road, Glenside | Free – Find out more Explore this garden of heritage plants from the days when travellers on the old road to Porirua stopped for meals and accommodation at the Halfway House. Unwind in the spacious lawns and heritage orchard of this historic homestead.
Make the Most of Your Weekend
With so many excellent and varied events along the West Coast, enjoying a weekend of heritage-themed activities is easy. Here are some tips to make the most of your time:
Plan ahead: Check the event timings and locations to plan your day. Many events are nearby, making it easy to move from one to the next.
Secure your spot early: Some events in our festival require bookings and are selling out fast! Book your tickets to make sure you don’t miss out. You can see which events require bookings on our events page, filtering by bookings.
Stay engaged: Don’t forget to share your experiences on social media using our festival hashtags (#whf26) and check out our website for more information about the full festival lineup. Between events, take time to explore other attractions – including the many cafes and shops.
Looking Ahead
This marks the third weekend of the Wellington Heritage Festival. With so many events to explore across the Greater Wellington Region, there’s no better time to dive into the past and discover the stories, people and places that shape the present.
To see the full schedule of 160+ events across the Greater Wellington region, visit our events page.
Up next: Wairarapa Focus Weekend