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Top Attractions in Taranaki

Egmont National Park

Egmont National Park is located south of New Plymouth, close to the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the mountain which dominates its environs, which itself was named by Captain Cook after John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont, the First Lord of the Admiralty who promoted Cooks first voyage. Taranaki has been the Māori name for the mountain for many centuries, and the mountain itself now has two alternative official names, "Mount Taranaki" and "Mount Egmont". The park, established in 1900, is dominated by the dormant volcano of Mount Taranaki. The park receives massive annual precipitation which is essentially orographic in origin as moist westerlies moving inland from the Tasman hit Mount Taranaki and the adjacent Pouakai and Kaitake ranges and are thus forced to rise. Since the area has high annual rainfall and a mild coastal climate there is a lush rainforest covering the foothills, a forest which is nationally significant for the total absence of beech trees .

New Plymouth

New Plymouth is the major city of the Taranaki Region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England, from where the first English settlers migrated. The New Plymouth District includes New Plymouth City and several smaller towns. The New Plymouth District is the 10th largest district in New Zealand, and has 1.7 percent of New Zealands population. The district has a population of 74,184 — about two thirds of the total population of the Taranaki Region. This includes New Plymouth City, Waitara, Inglewood, Oakura, Okato and Urenui . The city itself is a service centre for the regions principal economic activities including intensive pastoral activities as well as oil, natural gas and petrochemical exploration and production. It is also the regions financial centre as the home of the TSB Bank, the largest of the remaining non-government New Zealand-owned banks. Notable features are the botanic gardens, the 11 km Coastal Walkway alongside the Tasman Sea, the Len Lye-designed 45-metre-tall artwork known as the Wind Wand, Paritutu Rock, and views of Mount Taranaki/Egmont. As described under awards, New Plymouth won multiple awards in 2008. The city was in 2010 chosen as one of two walking cycling "Model Communities" by the government. Based on New Plymouths already positive attitude towards cyclists and pedestrians, the city received $3.71m to invest into infrastructure and community programs to boost walking and cycling. It is also noted for being a coastal city with a mountain within 30 minutes drive, where residents and visitors to New Plymouth can snowboard, ski, water ski and surf all in the same day.

Bertrand Road suspension bridge

The Bertrand Road suspension bridge crosses the Waitara River, linking Huirangi, near Lepperton and Tikorangi in north Taranaki, New Zealand. The original bridge was built in 1897, and rebuilt in 1927 . The original idea for the bridge was proposed by a Waitara councillor, Levi Sarten, as crossing the river to Tikorangi was proving treacherous, and road access to the area was poor. The bridge was subsequently built across the river in 1897, with a length of 210 feet, a width of 9 feet and at a cost of £695. In the 1920s, the bridge was damaged by flooding, and was dismantled to build another crossing, using wood and steelwork from its predecessor. The second crossing opened in 1927, using a modified version of the original design, which made the bridge stronger and more wind resistant. Over time, the bridge started to age, with height and weight restrictions imposed to extend its life. The bridge was eventually declared unsafe, and was closed to vehicular traffic in 1985. This resulted in a 16 kilometre detour. However, the bridge was still open for foot traffic and recreational use. Many attempts to reopen the bridge were unsuccessful, and the bridge became completely closed to all users in 2004. A trust was set up to reopen the bridge, with a community fundraising scheme. This included a "buy a plank" initiative, where a donation saw the donors name engraved on the bridge. Further funding was received from the TSB Community Trust, and the New Zealand Lottery Environment and Heritage Committee. Using as much of the old bridge design as possible, and after raising $630,000, the bridge was reopened to all traffic in June 2006. The bridge now has a central span of 61 metres and a maximum weight restriction of 4 tonnes.

Pukekura Park

Pukekura Park is a Garden of National Significance, covering 52ha near the heart of New Plymouth, Taranaki in New Zealand. The park contains a diverse range of native and exotic plants. Various easy walking trails cross the park and meander along the lake sides, taking in the features of the park. Among these are the picturesque Poets Bridge, which was opened on 11 March 1884. There is also a man-made cascading waterfall and a fountain in the aptly named Fountain Lake. Row boats can be hired for rowing on the main lake. Pukekura Park is also a popular events venue, with a cricket oval where Central Districts Stags cricket club play some home matches and the Bowl of Brooklands amphitheatre. The annual WOMAD festival is held at Pukekura Park. Pukekura Park is also home to the popular Tea House on the Lake, which has been situated on the main lake since the 1930s. Pukekura Park is the venue for the annual Festival of Lights, which runs for free every year from mid-December to early February. It has daytime and night time programmes of events for people of all ages, and the festival itself transforms the park into an illuminated wonderland every evening.

Yarrow Stadium

Yarrow Stadium is situated in the central suburb of Westown in New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand, with main vehicle access off Maratahu Street. Named the third best rugby stadium on earth by New Zealand Rugby World magazine in May 2009, Yarrow Stadium conforms with the International Rugby Board's "clean stadium" policy. The primary tenant of this 25,000-capacity stadium is the Taranaki representative team in the country's principal rugby union competition, the ITM Cup. From 2013, the stadium will play host to the Chiefs team as part of a new alliance, after Taranaki cut their ties with the Wellington-based Hurricanes. The venue was first developed as a rugby ground in 1931, with the first stadium completed in 1947. A major redevelopment saw two new grandstands added and considerable modernisation in 2002, and further enhancements to the venue were completed in 2010, raising the capacity to more than 25,500. The stadium is a personal legacy of the late Noel Yarrow, a pioneering Taranaki baker and businessman, and active philanthropist. Noel was a passionate rugby supporter, and the major grandstand overlooking the field's western sideline is a tribute to his support.

Pukeiti Rhododendron Trust

Pukeiti Rhododendron Trust is a garden of international significance in Taranaki, in the western North Island of New Zealand. It is located in a gap between two sections of the Egmont National Park, to the northwest of the main cone of Mount Taranaki, on a saddle between it and the small Kaitake Range which stretches towards Oakura. The garden named for the Pukeiti lava dome which is nearby. It is listed as one of Taranakis top 20 visitor attractions Founded in 1951 by William Douglas Cook and Russell Matthews, Pukeiti is now one of the countrys top rhododendron gardens, run by the Pukeiti Rhododendron Trust. Facilities include a visitor centre, restaurant, shop and covered walkways. The garden covers 20 hectares and is set among original and regenerating rainforest, with a total of 21 km of walkways. The trust is also involved in the restoration of 340 hectares of rainforest.

Holy Trinity Church

Holy Trinity Church in New Plymouth, New Zealand, is registered by Heritage New Zealand as a Category I structure. Built in 1872 as an Anglican church, it was extended in 1888 by James Sanderson and again in 1903 by Francis Messenger, and renovated in 1927 and the 1960s. The building replaced the original chapel, which had been built in the 1840s, with the foundation stone laid by Bishop George Selwyn. As such, the building was one of the first Anglican churches in Taranaki. The initial building was of board and thatch construction, and was only intended as a temporary structure. The advent of the Taranaki War and other factors, however, delayed the building of a permanent structure until 1872. The current building was entered on the New Zealand Historic Places Trust register on 23 August 2012. It is located in Henui Street in the suburb of Fitzroy.

Okato

Okato is a small township in rural Taranaki, New Zealand. The population was 561 in the 2013 Census, an increase of 30 from 2006. It is situated about 25 minutes drive around the coast from New Plymouth on State Highway 45. Oakura is 12 km to the north-east, and Warea is 9 km to the south-west. The place offers popular rocky surfing spots around coastal beaches. Okato has all the elements of a New Zealand rural community with sporting facilities (rugby grounds, bowling club, squash courts, tennis courts and swimming pool), Coastal Taranaki School, a police station, and a volunteer fire brigade. Okato was also notable as the home of Okato Cheese which was manufactured by the Okato Co-operative Dairy Company. This manufacturing site closed some years after merging with Egmont Co-operative Dairy. Activities in the Okato area include the Stony River walkway which affords a number of locations from which to take photos of Mt Taranaki.
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