While you’re in Taranaki make sure you don't miss these Top 20 attractions – voted by the locals as the region’s best.
1. Puke Ariki
The treasure trove of Taranaki’s history and culture, Puke Ariki is a world-class knowledge centre where library, museum and visitor information are combined to tell the stories of Taranaki - past, present and future. Setting an international benchmark in the delivery of information and heritage services, Puke Ariki has a number of exhibitions on throughout the year, and has a variety of displays, collections, and interactive technology on permanent display.
A combined museum, library and information centre, Puke Ariki sets out to inspire creativity by showing stunning exhibitions that highlight Taranaki’s past, present and future. Taranaki is a region steeped in history and Puke Ariki (Hill of Chiefs) stands on an original pa site of the great Maori Chief, Te Rangi Apiti Rua around 1700. The pa was deserted and approximately 100 years later it became the landing place for colonial settlers. Puke Ariki is located opposite Len Lye’s Wind Wand in central New Plymouth.
There are a number of galleries featuring contemporary exhibitions, Taranaki past life, Taranaki geology, flora and fauna, Maori collections (Taonga) and theatre featuring short films on Taranaki life. Puke Ariki is a must see for your Taranaki experience.
2. Taranaki Garden Festivals
The Taranaki Rhododendron and Garden Festival invite you to experience the most stunning range of gardens and events in New Zealand – a festival like no other. The hospitality of Taranaki’s garden owners is what makes this event so unique. Every year visitors flock from all over New Zealand and overseas to the festival where they are encouraged to take the time to wander through the beautiful gardens and take part in many of the festival’s events.
3. Pukekura Park
This 52ha inner-city park is a jewel. Stretching along a river valley from the centre of New Plymouth to near the city’s southern boundary, Pukekura Park is a Garden of National Significance that combines formal gardens with walks through native bush. Visitors to the park can enjoy the internationally regarded Fernery and Display Houses, visit Brooklands Zoo, check out the Japanese Hillside and Kunming Garden, and take a row boat onto the main lake.
The park’s beautiful sportsground has been named one of the top small cricket grounds in the world by Wisden, while the natural outdoor amphitheatre of the TSB Bowl of Brooklands has attracted well-known performers over the years. And from mid-December to early February every year, Pukekura Park is transformed into an illuminated wonderland each night with the TSB Bank Festival of Lights. This free event includes nighttime entertainment and daytime activities for all ages, and is so popular that it has been voted onto the coveted Mayfair spot of New Zealand Monopoly!
4. New Plymouth Coastal Walkway
This award-winning walkway stretches almost the entire length of New Plymouth, and gives visitors a close-up experience of the Tasman Sea. Walkers, runners, cyclists and skaters can travel its 7km length from the mouth of the Waiwhakaiho River in the east to Ngamotu Beach in the west, passing in front of the city’s CBD along the way.
The eastern end takes walkers through a series of sand dunes, then on to Fitzroy Beach then East End Beach with its adjacent reserve and skate park. The central section of the walkway is the site of the biennial Te Kupenga Stone Symposium, with artists carving their sculptures in full public view. Adjacent to this is the central deck which features the 45m-high Len Lye kinetic sculpture, Wind Wand.
On its way westward the Coastal Walkway travels in front of the Todd Energy Aquatic Centre and down to the Lee Breakwater before ending at the family-friendly Ngamotu Beach. Mobility scooters are available for hire (for free) from the aquatic centre – just call New Plymouth District Council on 06-759 6060 to book. Refreshments and ‘Wind Wanderer’ pedal carts are available at the central deck, next to the Wind Wand.
5. TSB Bank Festival of Lights
Since 1993 the TSB Bank Festival of Lights has been wowing hundreds of thousands of visitors each year with an awesome mix of events, entertainment and of course a spectacular lighting display set against the backdrop of Pukekura Park.
At night, fluorescent pebble paths sparkle beneath excited feet, majestic trees and plants glow, and waterfalls and lakes shimmer and shine beneath thousands of lighting displays. But it's the features such as the talking giant, fire poi dancers or the parades that captivate the young and the not so young. Structures such as the park's water wheel, fountains and historic band rotunda are flooded with lights, while illuminated wooden rowboats offer a romantic boating opportunity like no other.
So if you're looking for fun entertainment in the summer then visit Pukekura Park and immerse yourself in the magical and mystical wonderland of the TSB Bank Festival of Lights.
6. Govett-Brewster Art Gallery
No trip to New Plymouth is complete without a visit to the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery. Regarded as New Zealand’s leading contemporary art museum, it's home to the collection of celebrated modern artist Len Lye, who considered the Govett-Brewster to be the ‘swingiest art Gallery in the Antipodes’. With over a dozen exhibitions each year and a special focus on art from Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific Rim, visitors can always expect an engaging and stimulating experience. It’s open daily and it’s free!
Audiences continue to enjoy exhibitions by local and international artist and includes the visionary artist behind New Plymouth’s Wind Wand, Lye is internationally recognised for his work in kinetic sculpture and film. Among his kinetic works are the thunderous, ground-shaking Blade and Trilogy and the gently mesmerising Grass and Fountain, all seducing visitors every time they are exhibited. The Gallery has a regular programme of Len Lye exhibitions but does not have a permanent display.
7. Helicopter flight over Mt Taranaki
A trip to Taranaki is not complete without seeing and experiencing our beautiful region from the air in a helicopter. Take the trip of a lifetime and hover above Mt Taranaki and surrounding ranges of Pouakai and Kaitake that dominate Taranaki’s skyline in the Egmont National Park. Winter or summer, this experience will be one of your highlights, if you dare!
8. WOMAD
It’s a Festival highlighted as one of the best.WOMAD brings together people from all over New Zealand to enjoy the rhythms, sites and sounds. And it’s not just the music that entices the WOMAD audience. Captivating workshops for adults and children allow people to explore the diverse mix of artist performances, and a stroll through the Global Village offers fantastic fare and great shopping. The Global Food Village serves up tempting tastes from other lands. Kids can spend hours in the Kidzone engrossed in activities for lively young minds and there’s also camping and Marae-style accommodation to ensure total festival immersion.
Most of all, people can relax, unwind and soak up the family-friendly vibe that is unique to this event. Set in a stunning 55-acre park and garden, Brooklands Park & TSB Bowl in New Plymouth has gained a reputation as one of the most beautiful outdoor venues in the world. In total there are six stages at WOMAD. The main stage is set at the base of a natural amphitheatre and not only provides a stunning setting, but an acoustic experience second to none.
9. Tawhiti Museum
If you’re after a taste of Kiwi-style ‘Madame Tussauds’, Tawhiti Museum in Hawera is the place to visit. Widely acclaimed as the best private museum in New Zealand, the iconic complex is the work of talented local artist Nigel Ogle, who designs and builds life-size exhibits and scale models to capture the past in a set of super realistic displays. Enjoy the drama of New Zealand’s colonial past, in displays that rival the artistry of world-famous Madame Tussauds’ Museum in London. A Must-Do experience, and a gem in Taranaki’s crown, Tawhiti is a museum unlike any other.
10. Row Boats at Pukekura Park
A very popular way to relax in New Plymouth’s Pukekura Park is by hiring a row boat on the main lake. The clinker boats hark back to a bygone era, and are a charming way to explore the lake’s environs and get close to the ducks – and the occasional cormorant – that call the lake home. Rowers can glide beneath the iconic Poet’s Bridge – a wooden red span that is almost as famous for its origins as it is for its much-photographed design.
Despite the bridge’s romantic name, its construction is due entirely to a racehorse. In 1883, Pukekura Park board member James Davis drew the horse The Poet in a sweepstake on an Auckland race. It won, and Davis collected 150 Pounds which he immediately handed to the board for building the bridge. Further up the lake are small islands that the careful boatie can row around. These sites are often used by ducks for nesting.
The row boats are available for hire throughout the TSB Bank Festival of Lights (mid-December to early February) and nominated weekends in March.
11. Wakeboarding at Lake Rotorangi
Lake Rotorangi, Taranaki – possibly NZ’s greatest wake boarding location," a quote by Australia & NZ’s #1 wake boarding magazine ‘Wake’. They described Lake Rotorangi as having “miles and miles of glass, not a house or boat in sight and big steep hills with intricate rocky cliff faces plummeting from lush big green expanses of land on both sides protecting the glassy water in the valleys.” Lake Rotorangi, the longest man-made lake in New Zealand at 46km, is a serenely beautiful location in a forgotten world and perfect for water sports.
Caniwi Lodge is located near the northern end, an approximately 20-minute drive east of Eltham. Kayak use is complimentary to staying guests and, with safe calm waters, is also a Must-Do experience.
12. Summer Concerts at TSB Bowl of Brooklands
The TSB Bowl of Brooklands is a unique venue comprising an impressive outdoor sound stage and a large grass amphitheatre set against the backdrop of New Plymouth’s Pukekura Park. The bowl is a spectacular venue for summer concerts and when night comes, visitors and performers are spellbound as the lighting on the stage and surrounding trees takes effect. The bowl has seen performances by Sir Elton John, Jack Johnson, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Michael Crawford, R.E.M., Crowded House and Santana, and is also the New Zealand home of WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) in March every year.
13. Taranaki International Festival of the Arts
In the depths of winter on a biennial basis, The Taranaki International Festival of the Arts heats up the region, literally and figuratively, with a programme of wonderfully inspiring shows and activities.
14. Pukeiti
Pukeiti is New Zealand’s internationally recognised premier rhododendron garden and is one of Taranaki’s most visited attractions. Established in 1951 from rough, cut-over scrubland by the Pukeiti Trust, it has overseen the 20-hectare garden development alongside the restoration of 340 hectares of rainforest. It's this Taranaki rainforest setting that makes Pukeiti so unique, as nowhere else can you walk soft grass paths through thousands of rhododendrons and other plants sheltered by the lush bush environment.
Pukeiti is much more than a spring garden and throughout the year many other rare and colourful plants are on display, enjoying the mountain atmosphere and volcanic soils. The same environment provides babbling boulder-strewn streams with lush ferns and mosses draping the tree canopy.
Covered walk displays mean all-weather interest at any time of year. Pukeiti provides all the facilities the discerning visitor expects including a Gatehouse Visitor Centre with café, shop, toilets and disabled access. Mobility scooters are freely available and the garden is easy walking. For those wanting a full day’s visit there are 21km of tracks to explore, including the old logging tramline and the intriguingly named ‘Paint Mines’.
15. Todd Energy New Plymouth Aquatic Centre
A Must-Do experience for the family. Take the thrilling, adrenalin-fuelled ride down the kamikaze or the two twisty hydro slides. Flip yourself off the diving board; take a swim in the indoor wave pool or swing off the Tarzan rope. Fun for all ages, and you can enjoy this fantastic swimming centre all year round.
16. Oakura Beach
This is one of Taranaki’s most popular beaches, with an adjoining seaside town. Home of Oakura Boardriders Club and the world’s biggest surfboard, Oakura Beach is the ideal place to play a game of beach cricket, build a sandcastle and swim in the Tasman Sea on a patrolled beach during the summer.
17. Wind Wanderer Bikes
Wind Wanderers – A fun way to enjoy the coastal Walkway. Wind Wanderers are four-seater, pedal-powered bikes (or buggies). Great for families, friends, couples and kids to enjoy the breathtaking ocean views of New Plymouth’s coastal walkway in a relaxed, fun and safe manner. Wind Wanderers operate from the base of New Plymouth’s Wind Wand during summer weekend days and early evenings. They also operate every day through the Christmas and Easter school holidays (weather dependent). We would love to see you down here to enjoy this Taranaki favourite.
18. Forgotten World Highway 43
Imagine a world preserved by time… suspended infinitely in a lifestyle reminiscent of New Zealand’s pioneering days. A world where history and heritage are paramount, where Mother Nature takes the upper hand to protect her unique environment, and where passersby still enjoy a cheery wave from locals – the way this pioneering country used to be a century ago.
Close your eyes and you can almost hear the calls from farmers ploughing the dramatic hill country with mighty bullock-drawn blades; the laughter of country kids making their meandering way to tiny one-teacher schools via horseback; the long-anticipated social gathering in some isolated community hall ‘out the back of beyond’; and the careful tread of Maori warriors along ancient rainforest-covered trails linking North Taranaki with the south.
Forgotten is its name, but this route is really a journey of remembrance – a constant reminder of the determined settlers who tried – and most times failed – to scratch a living from its wild and isolated hill country. It’s no wonder this was New Zealand’s first Heritage Trail, with each of its special historic highlights signposted and explained along the way. If history is your passion, this highway is ideal. Meandering over huge saddles overlooking lush valleys and mountainous ranges, the road passes through historic pioneering districts that once hosted healthy communities… now passed back to Mother Nature’s bosom.
Drive the highway in less than three hours, or take your time to explore the fusion of nature with man… riverboat landing sites, road tunnels, disused coal mines, mills, brick kilns and sleeping villages instilled with the character of yesteryear.
19. Whitecliffs Walkway
An isolated ocean beach, towering white cliffs and rock pinnacles, bridged streams and a cliff-top track with stunning views of the North Taranaki coastline. This 14km track follows the route of the Kapuni - Auckland gas pipeline and can include the coastal pathway used by those from earlier times – Taranaki-bound warriors and later the stockmen rolling sheep or cattle towards the hand-hewn Te Horo tunnel and on to farms and saleyards.
Begin at the boat ramp at the end of Pukearuhe Rd. It’s just north of Urenui and near the cliff top site of the old redoubt and military settlement. Walk farmland leading to Mount Davidson and cross onto the land of Ngati Tama following the ridge tops before descending to the Waipingau Stream. Follow this stream or a later one to the sea and return to your starting point along a beautiful west coast beach. Or, if transport awaits, follow the walkway to Tongaporutu via a regenerating forest and bird’s eye views of majestic rock formations and pinnacles like the “three sisters”. Stay safe and check the tides if you plan a beach walk. You need to reach Pukearuhe no later than two hours after low tide. It’s a better walk than swim.
20. Surfing a Taranaki Wave
Ask any keen surfer what Taranaki offers them, and most will say the region’s 105km surf coastline that produces some of this country’s most legendary surf breaks. Surf Highway 45 is synonymous with consistent Tasman Sea swells that roll into sweeping deserted beaches, clipping reefs and sandbars along the way at perfect angles to ensure pumping waves and impressive barrels which thrill amateur and experienced surfers alike throughout the year. If you are a novice surfer then grab surfing lessons, or hire one of several guides to point out the best surf on the day, as closely-guarded Taranaki gems can often be found with local knowledge. |
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