Plimmerton is a seaside suburb on the western shore of Porirua, with the longest and most sheltered swimming beach in the city. The sand is fine, the water is calm thanks to the shelter of Mana Island offshore, and the railway station is a hundred metres from the beach — a rare and convenient combination.
The village along the foreshore has a pub, a few cafes, and the historic Plimmerton Pavilion. On summer weekends the place is busy with day-trippers from Wellington taking the Kapiti Line train up for an afternoon swim. The beach itself is patrolled in summer at its northern end. Karehana Bay, around the small headland to the north, is rockier but quieter.