Wind Wand
Coastal Walkway
Pukekura Park
Pukekura Park Festival of Lights
Mt Taranaki
About New Plymouth
New Plymouth is a holiday destination with something for everyone, from sun and sea to snow. Discover a spectacular cone mountain, magnificent parks, gardens and walking tracks, great shopping and a vibrant nightlife.
New Plymouth is surrounded by a spectacularly beautiful environment from its stunning coastline offering some of the best surfing conditions in the country and a marine park conservation area.
Impressive Mount Taranaki rests within the Egmont National Park and is a mecca for trampers and climbers.
- New Plymouth was deemed New Zealand's Top Town - the best place in New Zealand to call home - by national magazine North & South and today our Mayor arrives home with three more top prizes from the International Awards for Livable Communities in China:
- We've been named the world's most livable city in its 20,001 - 75,000 population category
- Our coastal walkway has been named as the worlds best environmentally sustainable
project for 2008 - And New Plymouth has won a special award for its community sustainability
- The following phrases have been used -
- 'Best-kept secret's out of the bag'
- 'Best in the World'
- 'I really like its compactness.
- It took five minutes to get anywhere'
- 'Vibrant, thriving community' .
New Plymouth attractions
Wind Wand
The towering 45m Len Lye wind wand is a focal point of the New Plymouth coastal walkway. Lye, one of New Plymouth's famous sons, was a renowned kinetic sculptor.
Coastal Walkway
The award-winning Coastal Walkway is a 7km path that forms an expansive sea-edge promenade stretching almost the entire length of the city.
Ideal for walking, running, cycling or skating, or simply enjoying the view of the dramatic west coast, the walkway connects popular recreational areas and the CBD to the sea.
The walkway runs from the Waiwhakaiho River mouth to the east to Port Taranaki to the west, with numerous pedestrian access points dotted along the way. It consists mostly of a paved pathway, with a gravel section at the Waiwhakaiho end.
Pukekura Park
A tranquil paradise in an urban setting and situated in the heart of New Plymouth, Pukekura Park is a spectacular 49ha of native forest, fern gullies, hidden dells, lakes, bridges and waterfalls. You can walk the paths, hire a row boat or picnic under the trees. Over summer, the park hosts the brilliant TSB Bank 'Festival of Lights'.
Mt Taranaki
The intense early morning sun rises from behind the 2518m high majestic Mt Taranaki. In the Maori language Taranaki means 'Gliding Peak', a name that ties it to the legend of how it came to be in its current location. Unrequited love saw Taranaki move from the central plateau, carving the Whanganui River in the process and filling the channel with his tears.
The snowy cone of Mount Taranaki is a focal point for all kinds of adventure:
Hike to the top of Mount Taranaki with a professional guide. Organised summit climbs run throughout February. Drive the heritage trail around Mount Taranaki. The trail can be driven in two hours, or you can spread it over a day. In winter (June-August) visitors can ski the slopes of the Manganui ski field, which has ski hire available.