37 Fantastic Things to Do in Taranaki Region, New Zealand

Almost instantly, the Taranaki region grabbed me and held on. From stunning beaches to lush forests, cities to small towns, there are plenty of things to do in Taranaki.

We found countless opportunities for hiking, surfing (watching surfers, in my case), and immersing ourselves in the great outdoors. Plus, Taranaki’s commitment to preserving its history and cultural heritage is evident just about everywhere we explore.

The specialness is found from world-renowned art galleries, surf beaches, gardens, and parks to the first cinema to show talking films in the southern hemisphere. Taranaki even claims the cheese and bread capitals of New Zealand.

Read on for more unusual things to do in Taranaki.

Things to do in Taranaki: Parks and gardens

• Pukekura Park, New Plymouth
  This is one of my favourite spots in New Plymouth. We tend to go to the park a couple of times each week when we are in town, either for coffee at the Tea House overlooking the serene lake or for a hike to the fernery or just through this massive New Plymouth park. The park comes alive in December for the Festival of Lights, a totally fun, free event.
• Pukeiti (Rhododendron Garden), New Plymouth
  Late spring was the perfect season to appreciate the Southern Hemisphere’s most extensive collection of rhododendrons, and we found ourselves surrounded by an explosion of colour. Note that Pukeiti is located about 20 minutes by car from New Plymouth city.
• Tupare Gardens, New Plymouth
  This six-star NZ Garden’s Trust landscaped estate is our favourite of the New Plymouth gardens. It’s a haven of tranquillity with lovely walking tracks surrounding the estate homestead.
• King Edward Park, Stratford
  In the heart of Stratford, King Edward Park is full of surprises, from the Malone Memorial Gates to a small swingbridge. The park is a lush, colourful retreat nestled alongside the Pātea River. There’s a kauri tree planted by Queen Elizabeth II, a playground, and a mural of William Shakespeare.
• Hollard Gardens, Kaponga
  Bernie Hollard established this garden in 1927 and continued working on it throughout his life. It’s a tapestry of colour and texture. It’s another amazing garden, although it felt less manicured than most of the other Taranaki gardens we visited.
• Rotokare Scenic Reserve, near Eltham
  The 7km walk around Lake Rotokare is mostly bush with occasional lake views, although there is a pontoon that lets you get out over the water. Jeff and I like to sit here for a while and enjoy the peaceful surroundings. The reserve itself is popular with freedom campers, and we were told that just after dusk, you might see kiwi birds as you walk around the lake.

Things to do in Taranaki: Museums and art galleries

As a visitor and an artist, it didn’t take long to know why so many artistic people settled here. Both creating and sharing, some of these galleries and museums are among the best things to do in Taranaki. Check out our favourites here or embark on the Coastal Arts Trail.

Art galleries/art museums we like

• Percy Thomson Gallery
  Often considered one of New Zealand’s top regional galleries, exhibits change monthly. We visited the Percy Thomson Gallery during a show featuring local artists, and somehow, Jeff purchased my favourite and had it shipped home as a surprise without my noticing. The talent in this town is impressive.
• Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre: I can’t decide if I was more impressed by the exterior architecture or the artwork inside. This hub of contemporary art is home to several works by the renowned kinetic artist Len Lye, as well as a collection of work from over 50 Māori artists.

Other Taranaki museums

• Tawhiti Museum, Hawera
  This unassuming museum is one of the best museums in New Zealand. Jeff and I were captivated by the meticulously detailed dioramas and life-sized exhibits depicting scenes from the past, including a large Maori Pa, intertribal wars, Māori Land Wars, and industrial, transportation, and agricultural development in the area. A labour of love, as its creator, Nigel Ogle, hand-made all the dioramas in a fascinating on-site workshop.
• Traders and Whalers, Hawera
  An underground canal boat ride took us through the exhibit, telling the story of the whalers and their sometimes tumultuous trading with Māori through a collection of impressive life-size models. While it is part of Tawhiti Museum, a separate entry ticket is required.
• Puke Ariki Museum, New Plymouth
  A seamless blend of heritage and innovation, this family-friendly museum has plenty of hands-on, engaging exhibits on Taranaki’s history, art, and science and an extensive collection of Māori carvings. The building also houses a library and iSite, where we booked an amazing historical walking tour of New Plymouth. (This tour is one of our top recommendations of things to do in Taranaki)
• Taranaki Pioneer Village
  An opportunity to step back in time, explore the historic buildings, and get a glimpse of life in Taranaki’s early days. From the blacksmith’s shop to the old-school printing press, this living museum offers a unique experience. (We didn’t visit here).

Things to do in Mt Taranaki (Taranaki Maunga)

Egmont National Park is home to the iconic Taranaki Maunga, (Mt Taranaki). On clear days, we could see the mountain from just about everywhere in the region.

Mt Taranaki hikes from the Dawson Falls Visitor Centre

Dawson Falls

This horsetail-type fabulous New Zealand waterfall drops 18m, and in my opinion, the best view is at the base after walking down the 134 steps. You can get here from either the Kapuni Loop Track (1 hour return) or the Dawson Falls Track (10 minutes). We also took the 5-minute walk to the Dawson Falls Power Station, one of the world’s oldest functioning generators.

Wilkies Pools Loop Track (Goblin forest)

This 80-minute hike is marked as moderately challenging, but really, I found it pretty easy until we got to the pools. From there, it involved scrambling a bit over the rocks. Note that the water is shockingly cold – way too cold for me, but (other people’s) kids didn’t seem to notice.

More Mt Taranaki walks from the Dawson Falls visitor centre

• The Ridge Loop Track (a strenuous 1-hour return)
• Hooker Shelter (a strenuous 1 hour one-way)
• Waingongoro Hut (half-day/overnight tramp to a 16-bunk hut)
• Enchanted- Waingongoro Loop (a 3.5-hour tramp to the highest swing bridge in the park with a steep descent).

Mt Taranaki hikes from the Stratford Mountain House

Manganui Suspension Bridge Walk

Although all uphill, this one wasn’t too steep, and in fact, I found it pretty easy. The metals path took about 30 minutes to reach the new suspension bridge, with stunning views of Mt Taranaki most of the way. This is a walk worth doing on a clear day. 

As we walked, I wondered why skiers would come here in the winter and carry their skis all this way, but I met one, and she said it’s because “I can.” But in truth, the Manganui Lodge at the ski field was only able to be open two times in the entire 2024 winter season.

To get to the trail head, drive past the Stratford Mountain House and continue up until the car park at the top. (Penbroke Road to Stratford Plateau)

Kamahi Loop (Goblin Forest)

Another Goblin Forest? I am as confused as you are, but this is what we found: two walks with the same nickname and the same fabulous moss-covered trees.

This one is a short 30-minute loop walk from the Stratford Mountain House, yet the enchanting scenery made it one of the Taranaki highlights of our adult daughter. Bring a camera; it may be short, but there are plenty of photo ops.

Unusual things to do in Taranaki

• Fenton St Arts Collective, Stratford
  Possibly my favourite find, this is a combination art gallery, gin distillery, cafe and espresso bar. We did it all, from coffee to gin tasting, viewing the art, meeting one of the artists, and enjoying lunch.
• Cheese Bar, Eltham
  We could not resist shopping at the Cheese Bar, located across the street from Fonterra’s factory in Eltham, the cheese capital of New Zealand. The town is also known for its vintage and retro shopping.
• Manaia
  If I am mentioning the cheese capital, it seemed only fitting to note the bread capital of New Zealand. This one was made famous from the independently owned Yarrows Bakery, founded in 1923, and is now one of the country’s largest independent bakeries.
• Normanby Wier, Normanby
  We have been told it’s a dam that you can swim over the edge as the water flows. They even gave it a name: dam dropping. One look at the wier and we can’t imagine this. To us, it felt like it would be beyond dangerous.
• Whangamomona
  A micro republic in the middle of the Forgotten World Highway, Whangamomona is much easier to get to now that the road is paved. Our highlight was to stop in at the pub at the Whangamomona Hotel, have a coffee, and get a passport and stamp. 

Historical things to do in Taranaki

• Stratford Glockenspiel, Stratford
  Encapsulating the Shakespearean influence in Stratford, New Zealand’s only glockenspiel clock tower stands along the main street. Four times daily (10am, 1pm, 3pm, and 7pm), Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, emerge for the balcony scene.
• TET King’s Theatre, Stratford
  This 1916 movie theatre was the first in the Southern Hemisphere to feature a talking film. We strolled inside to find original decor and a display of old projectors, but the theatre itself shows popular films.
• Hawera Water Tower, Hawera
  Built in 1914, the water tower stands 54.2m (168 feet). The strenuous 215-step climb to the top rewards most visitors with town views and surrounding landscapes. But the rain put us off on our first visit, and it was closed on our second.

Our favourite stops along the Taranaki Surf Highway

Named after the seemeingly endless number of surf beaches, the Surf Highway 45 is the 105km western coastal route from New Plymouth to Hawera. We are not surfers, but we found plenty of cool things to do along the surf highway.

Here’s what we think are the best “non-surf” spots. Of course you will want to stop and see a few of the surf beaches too, so we added them into the next section.

• SS Gariloch Shipwreck, Timaru Road, just south of Oakura
  The rusty remains of a historic shipwreck are a testament to the region’s seafaring past. It is well worth the effort. Note that it was super windy when we went, and we are not sure if that is the norm, but we would recommend wearing sunglasses just in case. This wreck has been a landmark for over a century.
• Cape Egmont Lighthouse Replica and Museum
  This tiny museum has very limited hours and was closed every time we visited. It’s next to a replica lighthouse housing the original 1850s Fresnel prismatic light. As the turn-off for it comes before the current lighthouse, don’t get confused and think it is the real thing.
• Cape Egmont Lighthouse, Pungarehu
  This is a classic photo opportunity when the mountain is out of the clouds. We have visited six times, but only saw Mt. Taranaki on two of them. We know now to go in the morning on a clear day. For the shot I got, go past the lighthouse to the end of the road and walk along the coast until you see the shot you want. You can also walk up to the lighthouse, but not inside. While it was a cool thing to do once, that was enough for us. 
• Opunake
  Here, we find small-town charm. We walked only a part of the 7km Ōpunake Loop Trail, through beautiful lake and beach scenery and a few personal favourites like the old lookout tower and two mosaic benches. 

Things to do in Taranaki: Walks and beaches

Beaches

With 105 kilometres of coast, plenty of surf and family-friendly beaches exist (see Surf Highway section for more details). We spent most of our beach time at the lifeguard-patrolled Fitzroy Beach, a well-known surf beach with a family-friendly swimming area.

• Surf beaches
  Of course, there are plenty of great surf beaches along the Surf Highway. As a non-surfer, I can only go by reputation, but some of the ones that keep coming up include Fitzroy, East End, Stent Road surf break, Kina Road (note more for wave sailing) and Arawhata Road. 
• Family-friendly beaches
  A bit more family-friendly, don’t miss Oakura, Opunake, Ngāmotu and Kaupokonui Beach with its sheltered swimming spot. Also, Ohawe claims the title of most popular beach in South Taranaki.

Local walks

• Paritutu Rock, New Plymouth
  Seen from many of the vantage points in New Plymouth, Jeff and our daughter were brave enough to climb to the top (without me) and reported the stunning views at the top were worth the effort. The walk didn’t take too long, but it was steep and challenging, requiring a high level of fitness. There is a chain rail alongside the trail at the steeper portions that made those sections doable.
• Coastal Walkway, New Plymouth
  Strolling or cycling along any section of the 12.7km Coastal Walkway is one of my favourite things to do over and over in New Plymouth. An award-winning walkway, we enjoyed breathtaking views of the Tasman Sea and Mount Taranaki. The iconic Te Rewa Rewa Bridge, with its whalebone-like design, is also along the walkway.
• Lucy’s Gully
  A lovely picnic spot alongside the Waimoku Stream with a few hiking trailheads.

Accommodation in Taranaki: Where to stay in New Plymouth or Stratford

There are two kinds of accommodations we prefer when we travel, either pure luxury or a touch of luxury in a self-catered environment. Our accommodation in Taranaki included one of each.

Luxury at Novotel, New Plymouth

Blissful sleep, an invigorating rain shower, and delicious food were all part of the five-star luxury we found in our spacious executive room. However, the exemplary service and the go-the-extra-mile-friendly attitude separated Novotel New Plymouth from other impressive hotels. Uniqueness was found in the details, like offering to drive us to dinner when I was tired.

There is onsite parking, a gym, a sauna, and a restaurant with a huge buffet breakfast. The only thing missing was bathrobes, but we rarely use them in hotels and didn’t really notice. Reserve your stay at Novotel New Plymouth here.

Read next: 16 Things to Do in New Plymouth: Exploring this Coastal Gem

Self-contained paradise at Barberry Hill, Stratford

Charmingly rustic, yet somehow elegant, we loved this converted self-contained unit above a barn on a working dairy farm. Our huge unit featured a full kitchen, a comfortable bed, plenty of living space, a living room and a wood-burning stove.

We made our own breakfast from the farm-fresh eggs left for us and enjoyed it on the unit’s deck overlooking lush rolling pastures. Next time we stay here, I hope for better weather. Reserve your stay at Barberry Hill here.

Read next: Stratford NZ: Discover Shakespeare and Majestic Mt Taranaki

How to get to Taranaki

As North Islanders, we drove our own vehicle to the region from Auckland as part of a road trip, although driving directly would have taken about 5 hours. Similarly, it’s a 5-hour drive from Wellington that passes through Whanganui. Had we been visitors, we would have rented a car, either to get there or once we arrived, as access to so many of the places we recommend above is easy with our own car.

Bus or plane to New Plymouth

We use Bookaway for the best options to get from Auckland to New Plymouth.

Rental Car
We always use RentalCars. As an aggregator, they offer a comprehensive list of agents, ratings on specific car types, and agency ratings. Whether we rent from them or not, it’s still the perfect place to begin our search.  Start your search or reserve your rental car here.

What are your favourite things to do in Taranaki?