Raumati Marine Gardens
Encyclopedia
Raumati Marine Gardens is a public park
in Raumati Beach
on New Zealand
's Kapiti Coast
. It is near the Tasman Sea
just behind the beach, hence its name, and on the northern side of the park, the Wharemauku Stream
reaches the ocean.
The Gardens are a popular recreation location for locals and visitors from nearby towns. The park includes an outdoor ridable miniature railway
operated by Kapiti Miniature Railway and Associates. It features a dual gauge
(5 inch and 7¼ inch) circuit that has been progressively upgraded and expanded over the years and features bridges and tunnels. Trains operate Sunday afternoons and motive power includes live steam
, internal combustion, and battery electric. An indoor HO scale
model railway
was built beside the outdoor railway's main station in the early 1990s but was closed early in the 21st century.
The Gardens also contains a children's playground and a heated indoor swimming pool
complex that is the main public pools for Paraparaumu
, Paraparaumu Beach
, Raumati Beach, and Raumati South.
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
in Raumati Beach
Raumati
Raumati collectively refers to two neighbouring places on the Kapiti Coast of New Zealand's North Island. They are located 50-60 km north-east of Wellington, and immediately to the south-west of the larger town of Paraparaumu. The Maungakotukutuku area is located immediately behind Raumati...
on New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's Kapiti Coast
Kapiti Coast
The Kapiti Coast is the name of the section of the coast of the south-western North Island of New Zealand that is north of Wellington and opposite Kapiti Island. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Wellington Regional Council...
. It is near the Tasman Sea
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
just behind the beach, hence its name, and on the northern side of the park, the Wharemauku Stream
Wharemauku Stream
The Wharemauku Stream is a stream on the Kapiti Coast of New Zealand's North Island. Its headwaters are in the Maungakotukutuku valley, and it flows through Paraparaumu and Raumati Beach before reaching the Tasman Sea on the northern side of Raumati Marine Gardens...
reaches the ocean.
The Gardens are a popular recreation location for locals and visitors from nearby towns. The park includes an outdoor ridable miniature railway
Ridable miniature railway
A ridable miniature railway is a ground-level, large scale model railway that hauls passengers using locomotives that are models of full-sized railway locomotives .-Overview:Typically they have a rail track gauge between and , though both larger and...
operated by Kapiti Miniature Railway and Associates. It features a dual gauge
Rail gauge
Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...
(5 inch and 7¼ inch) circuit that has been progressively upgraded and expanded over the years and features bridges and tunnels. Trains operate Sunday afternoons and motive power includes live steam
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
, internal combustion, and battery electric. An indoor HO scale
HO scale
HO or H0 is the most popular scale of model railway in the world.According to the NMRA standard S-1.2 predominantly used in North America, in HO scale, represents 1 real foot ; this ratio works out to about 1:87.1. According to the MOROP standard NEM 010 predominantly used in Europe, the scale is...
model railway
Rail transport modelling
Railway modelling or model railroading is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale...
was built beside the outdoor railway's main station in the early 1990s but was closed early in the 21st century.
The Gardens also contains a children's playground and a heated indoor swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
complex that is the main public pools for Paraparaumu
Paraparaumu
Paraparaumu is a town in the south-western North Island of New Zealand. It lies in the Kapiti Coast, 50 kilometres north of the nation's capital city, Wellington....
, Paraparaumu Beach
Paraparaumu Beach
Paraparaumu Beach is situated to the west of the 'township' of Paraparaumu, located 50 km north of Wellington, New Zealand. The area overlooks Kapiti Island....
, Raumati Beach, and Raumati South.