The district is named after Kapiti Island, a prominent island 5 km offshore. The population of the district is concentrated in the chain of coastal settlements along State Highway One: Ōtaki, Te Horo, Waikanae, Paraparaumu, Raumati Beach, Raumati South, and Paekākāriki. Paraparaumu is the most populous of these towns and the commercial and administrative centre. Much of the rural land is given over to horticulture; market gardens are common along the highway between the settlements. Paraparumu has a small airport with daily scheduled flights to across the Cook Strait to Nelson and Blenheim.