Olde Beach Bakery's Paekākāriki shop makes its home in the Holtom, one of the region's most beautiful historic buildings, lovingly restored and now a little house of baked delights on the Kāpiti Coast. Cosy up inside and watch the bakers work their magic, or take in the relaxed local scene from the outdoor seating — with a bit of luck, one of the iconic heritage steam trains might even roll past.
The bakery's story starts with a scone, a favourite in the early days at Long Beach that the community wanted so many of a bakery had to be built. The original focus was French pastry; these days the cabinet sits somewhere between European delicacies and Kiwi classics — cakes, croissants, sandwiches, scones, donuts, pies and bread, often inspired by fruit and vegetables from the collective garden or beer and grains from the brewery. Coffee comes with banter on the side.
Baking runs from 3am to midnight, seven days a week, and the online shop makes it easy to order ahead or see what's currently baking. Family-size pies, frozen pies and par-baked bread mean you can take the Olde Beach experience home, gift vouchers never expire, and the team can be found market munching at the Waikanae farmers' market on Saturdays. Part of the FoodFolk family of Kāpiti food spots.
Olde Beach Bakery calls itself a little house of baked delights, and its Paekākāriki shop may be the most atmospheric home of all. It sits in the Holtom, a building lovingly restored and described as one of the region's most beautiful historic buildings. Step inside to cosy up and watch the bakers work their magic, or head out to the outdoor seating and take in Paekākāriki's relaxed local environment. With a bit of luck, one of the iconic heritage steam trains will rumble past while you eat.
The bakery's story starts, fittingly, with a scone. It was a favourite in the early days at Long Beach, and the community wanted so many of them that a bakery simply had to be built. A neglected neighbourhood corner near Waikanae Beach got a new lease of life, and when the team needed more space they opened a shop in the heart of Paekākāriki. Today they bake from 3am to midnight, seven days a week, and Olde Beach has become an iconic destination on the Kāpiti Coast — virtually a drive-thru for locals ducking in for coffee, bread, pastries and pies, with a bit of banter on the side.
The original focus was French pastry, but the bakers have settled into a sweet spot somewhere between European delicacies and Kiwi classics, so there's something for everyone. The cabinet carries various versions of cakes, croissants, sandwiches, scones, donuts, pies and bread — often inspired by fruit and vegetables from the collective garden, or beer and grains from the brewery. Olde Beach is part of the FoodFolk family, a Kāpiti collective that also includes North End Brewery, Long Beach Cafe & Tavern, Salt & Wood BBQ and Salty's Roastery & Tavern, which is how those garden-and-grain inspirations find their way into the bake.
The scone remains the legend that started it all, and piping hot pies are the perennial grab-and-go. Coffee comes with banter included. For home, there are family-size pies built to feed the whole crew, frozen pies to keep your favourite at the ready in the freezer, and par-baked loaves that turn your own oven into the bakery's last stretch — fresh, hot artisan bread whenever you want it. On Saturdays you can find the team market munching at the Waikanae farmers' market.
Joy is described as the most important ingredient in the bakery. You can hear it in the voices singing along to the radio and see it in the synchronised dance of the team carrying piping hot pies through a tight little space. That closeness is deliberate — it brings people together, to rub shoulders, engage, share and connect. From five-year-olds to 105, locals, holidaymakers, coasties and Wellingtonians alike, the bakery unites and delights them all.
There's a thread of revival running through the whole story: neglected corners brought back to life, a historic building carefully restored, a garden and brewery feeding the bake. It's a bakery that treats its place on the Kāpiti Coast as part of the recipe.
Find the Paekākāriki shop at 5 Beach Road, in the restored Holtom. The online shop is open if you want to order ahead or see what's currently baking, and gift vouchers — which never expire — can be bought online or in either bakery, redeemable on fresh bread, coffee, pies, pastries, sammies and sweets. Whether you call in for a flat white and a pie, stock up on bread, or settle in to wait for the steam train, you'll be joining a daily ritual that has become part of life on the Kāpiti Coast.