Taranaki travel tips

Taranaki travel tips

• Taranaki region is an ideal destination for your second trip to New Zealand, most travellers can't fit this detour into their first tight schedule, but with a little more time this region is as spectacular as any other!
• Stop at the beautiful black sand beach at Mokau where you'll be able to catch a first glimpse of majestic Mount Taranaki
• Three access points get you close to the perfect volcano and its 'goblin' forest
• Surf Highway 45 will take you from one surf beach to the next, all around the mountain
• The Forgotten World Highway 43 is a gem and who ever guessed that there's an independent republic within New Zealand...?

  

Highlights of the Taranaki region

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  Taranaki/Mount Egmont: Famous Mount Vesuvius in Italy has a near perfect shape for a volcano, but Taranaki is not only practically twice as high (2518 m, rising straight from sea level), it really has the perfect Mount Doom shape! A 'quick' climb to the summit seems inviting, but actually the weather changes are extreme and the mountain has caused more disasters than any other in New Zealand. However, a walk at lower levels is highly recommended, the vegetation is unique and especially attractive, as is a drive all around the mountain. The most popular access point it seems is North Egmont with some shorter tracks through the magic mountain bush (called 'goblin' forest, because it is full of mosses, ferns, old man's beard and other fairytale style vegetation), it also has a cafe and this is where the summit route begins. The Dawson Falls car park offers more short tracks, for example to the waterfall and to some attractive river pools. A beautifully carved Maori pou, similar to a totem pole, guards the visitor centre. East Egmont is the highest car park at nearly 1200 m, with further viewpoints and a path to the skifield. For Maori Taranaki has ancestral status, and as part of the local tribe's settlement with the New Zealand government the mountain was given the status of a legal entity that can represent itself in court.
• New Plymouth: Set behind an attractive coastal walkway, this pretty city charms its visitors with magnificent parks and gardens. Pukekura Park is the closest to the centre and one of New Zealand's finest, with lakes, gorgeous vegetation and its Festival of Lights during summer. The fascinating and free regional museum Puke Ariki sits between the waterfront and the city centre. You'll also love the 45 m tall Wind Wand by artist Len Lye along the coastal walkway. The spectacular Len Lye Centre is a must stop, if only to explore its amazing mirrored facade and reflections within, just a short stroll away from Puke Ariki. Paritutu Rock is the best lookout point around, one of the steepest short climbs in New Zealand and not for the faint-hearted, but quite unforgettable! At the eastern end of the coastal walkway you can adore the wonderful Te Rewa Rewa bridge, which resembles a white whale skeleton (access by car is via Lake Rotomanu).
• Stratford: East of Taranaki you'll find lots of pointers to this town's connection with Shakespeare, quite a must-visit destination for the poet's fans, with dozens of streets carrying the name of his protagonists. The Tudor style clocktower even has a 'glockenspiel' at set hours. Back towards New Plymouth is the most important access road of Mount Taranaki, the North Egmont National Park visitor centre, with some great short loop walks. Lake Mangamahoe is a reserve closer to Inglewood, one of the good spots to catch that mountain reflection in the water.
• Driving the Surf Highway 45: As the name says you'll find lots of superb beaches on this highway, but equally spectacular are the views of Mount Taranaki. The Kumara Patch, Kina, Stent and Oaonui are just some of the celebrated surf spots, Oakura seeing the most development with lots of new holiday homes, while Opunake boasts lots of murals in town. On the way, you can explore the magic atmosphere of the ancient Maori fortress Koru Pa in Oakura, or visit the old Cape Egmont lighthouse. South of Mount Taranaki you can continue towards Hawera, Patea and Whanganui, or take the access road to the Dawson Falls base, back in Egmont National Park.
• Hawera is home to the leaning tower of Taranaki, the 55 m water tower in the centre, which is open to the public. You'll also find one of the quirkiest and most popular private museums of New Zealand, Tawhiti Museum, with countless well-made scaled and life size diorama scenes, giving insights into early Maori and settler lives. Patea further south came to fame with the local Patea Maori club's 'Poi e' song and its accompanying feature length film from 2016. Unmissable is the Maori canoe memorial from 1933 along the highway, commemorating the original settlement of the area by chief Turi.
• Stratford is also the starting point of the adventurous Forgotten World Highway: The highway now belongs to the Manawatu region, but the locals have put up a protest and created the 'Independent Republic of Whangamomona', complete with passports, presidential elections (the first president was a goat named Bill Lee) and a Republic Day which draws the crowds. You can get your passport stamped in the 1911 Whangamomona pub. The highway leads through beautiful farmland, through a tunnel and dense bush to end in Taumaranui. The 85 metre Mount Damper Falls are worth a detour (starting at Moki Road).

The best Taranaki walks

• New Plymouth Coastal Walkway - 10 km along the coast, highlights are Paritutu Rock, the Wind Wand, diverse art sculptures and Te Rewa Rewa bridge
• Pukekura Park & Brooklands Park - a range of walks, access from Brooklands Road, Victoria Road and Upjohn Street, New Plymouth
• Dawson Falls Visitor Centre - a range of short walks into the 'goblin' forest, for example Dawson Falls (20 min return) or Wilkie's Pools (20 min one way), end of Manaia Road, 14 km from Kaponga
• North Egmont National Park Visitor Centre - a range of short walks, for example the North Egmont Nature Walk (15 min), Egmont Road
• Pouakai Circuit - circular walk near the Taranaki Summit (2-3 days, 23.4 km), from Egmont National Park Visitor Centre
• Mt Taranaki Summit Track - spectacular but also dangerous walk due to very quick weather changes with fog, hail and gusts (8-12 h, 14 km), from Egmont National Park Visitor Centre
• East Egmont Kamahi Loop Track (30 min return), end of Pembroke Road
• Opunake Walkway - coastal walk (up to 7 km, 3-4 hours one way), starting at Opunake Lake
• York Road Loop Track - along old railway tracks (3 h return), York Road, north of Stratford
• The Three Sisters - rock formations and arches on the beach, only at low tide, Tongaporutu bridge south of Mokau
• Mount Damper Falls Walk - a 74 m high waterfall, on Okau Road near State Highway 3, 59 km north of New Plymouth

The best Taranaki viewpoints

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  Paritutu Rock - fantastic views from a very steep rock, access from the New Plymouth Coastal Walkway, west of the city centre, New Plymouth
• Nevin’s Lookout, along the World Forgotten Highway
• Cape Egmont Lighthouse, lighthouse itself is not accessible, end of Cape Road near Pungarehu
• Hawera Water Tower, enquire at the i-SITE if open, Hawera

The best Taranaki museums

• Puke Ariki Heritage, Knowledge and Information Centre - modern regional museum, Ariki Street, New Plymouth
• Govett-Brewster Art Gallery and Len Lye Centre, Queen Street, New Plymouth
• Taranaki Pioneer Village - open air museum, State Highway 3, Stratford
• Tawhiti Museum and Traders & Whalers - life size and scale model dioramas, 401 Ohangai Road, Hawera
• Mokau Museum - State Highway 3, Mokau
• Aotea Utanganui Museum of South Taranaki, Egmont Street, Patea

Map of Taranaki

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