Paraparaumu () is a town in the south-western North Island of New Zealand. It lies on the Kapiti Coast, north of the nation's capital city, Wellington. Like other towns in the area, it has a partner settlement at the coast called Paraparaumu Beach, which lies directly opposite Kapiti Island. The two towns form part of the Kapiti Coast District. Together with the nearby Raumati Beach and Raumati South they are among the fastest-growing urban areas in New Zealand, and are major dormitory towns with workers commuting to the cities that make up the Wellington urban area. The four towns between them have a 2012 population of over 49,000 people. Inland behind Paraparaumu is the Maungakotukutuku area. Paraparaumu is a Māori-language name meaning "scraps from an earth oven"; means "dirt" or "scraps", and means "oven". The village of Lindale is a located just north of the Paraparaumu town centre. It began as a Tourist and Agricultural Centre, but later gained a reputation for cheese and the Lindale Barnyard petting farm. The old State Highway 1 and the North Island Main Trunk railway both pass through Lindale. The railway line was formerly owned by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, and construction of the line was completed when the ends from Wellington and Longburn (Palmerston North) met near Lindale in Otaihanga in 1886. There are proposals to extend the commuter train service, operated by Transdev Wellington to a new station at Lindale, subject to Wellington Regional Council funding. The majority of shops are located close to the town centre in Coastlands Mall, and the train station being close as well. The area hosts many important places and roads in Paraparaumu Beach. Climate Paraparaumu has an oceanic climate typical of New Zealand, with moderately warm summers and mild winters. It has a quite high rainfall frequency year round, although it is drier than many other coastal areas in the country. Demographics Paraparaumu is defined by Statistics New Zealand as a medium urban area and covers , which includes Otaihanga, Paraparaumu Beach, Raumati Beach and Raumati South. It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. Paraparaumu had a population of 28,701 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,866 people (7.0%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 3,441 people (13.6%) since the 2006 census. There were 11,379 households. There were 13,560 males