Paraparaumu Beach’s Ocean Motel is undergoing some much-needed TLC

Ben Smithson is the manager at the Ocean Motel. Photo / Grace Odlum

Exciting changes are on the horizon for Paraparaumu Beach’s Ocean Motel.

Dave Smithson bought the motel, which is on Ocean Rd, in early April, and he knew from the start that there was a lot he wanted to do with it.

The buildings needed a lot of work, and the whole motel was due for some much-needed maintenance.

So Dave, alongside a team of locals including his brother Ben, started fixing up the motel as soon as he bought it, and over the past two months they’ve removed several of the trees surrounding the motel, and a lot of ivy.

“We’ve made countless trips to the local landfill,” Ben, who is also the motel’s manager, said.

The motel stands where the Paraparaumu Beach Tennis Club used to be, so what was once an old pavilion building, the clubhouse, is now the motel’s main building, and it needed a lot of work, Ben said.

They’ve also replaced the washing machines and dryers, which Ben said their cleaner is happy about.

Ben has a building background, and said maintenance was especially needed on the water pipes and telecommunications.

But that’s not all they’re hoping to achieve, and he said they’re also looking to expand and add more units.

A name change is also in the motel’s future, and Ben said they want to rename the motel to Kāpiti Ocean Motel, and with that name change means new signage will be needed too.

The work is expected to take between one and two years, and Ben said they’re going to remain completely operational.

Currently, all 10 of the current units are still occupied, and business is continuing as normal for the Ocean Motel.

Dave and Ben know the area well and grew up in Paraparaumu, so they’re excited to be the new owners of the motel.

In fact, they even know Ocean Rd very well, with their family doctor’s practice being Dr Cammack & Evans, which is right next door to the motel.

The two brothers also both have trade backgrounds so they’re helping out with a lot of the work - Ben is a bricklayer by trade and has experience as a builder, and Dave is a carpenter.

The Ocean Motel has been a popular vacation spot for people for a long time, and houses visitors from all over New Zealand, and beyond.

There’s one group of people the motel is especially popular with though.

Ben said the motel sees a lot of golfers, who are attracted to the area by the Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club, which is right around the corner.

“It’s a handy location to the golf course.”