BEACH ROAD DELI: Paekākāriki where the girls are cheeky

Ten years ago, my fiance and I visited the charming, quirky little seaside town of Paekākāriki, 40 mins north of Wellington, and fell in love with the place.

We decided to get married there, and months later a beautiful house came available. We moved up the coast from Wellington City to make it our home.

Around the same time, unbeknownst to us, new owners were taking over the local Deli. They were clever young women in their early 20s with a passion for food and people – and they proceeded to make the cafe an indispensable part of the culture of the village. The Deli has become a an indispensable part of our lives, and the Deli crew have been an extended whānau for us.

So it was my great pleasure when they asked me to honour their 10 year anniversary with an illustration for a colouring competition, which captures in a nutshell the richness off the place we feel so lucky to call home.