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North Island
WELLINGTON - NEW PLYMOUTH
(355km/220miles, 5hours 10mins)
This morning in your Budget Travelhome drive out of Wellington
on State Highway 1 to New Plymouth, in the Taranaki region.
En route travellers will pass through Wanganui city. A break
in this attractive city is recommended for lunch at one of the
many cafes, or a heritage or scenic walk through the well kept
parks, gardens and reserves. The famous Whanganui River flows
from one of New Zealand's highest volcanoes, Mt Tongariro,
through the spectacular Whanganui National Park, to the coast of
the Tasman Sea, and Wanganui city.
For those visitors able to stay in the Wanganui region
additional days, activities and attractions include:
- The Old Town Heritage
Walk: this showcases a typical colonial New Zealand
town
- Whanganui Regional Museum
and Art Gallery. www.wanganui-museum.org.nz
- River trips: travel by
jet boat or canoe over gentle rapids
- Whanganui River Paddle
Steamer: take a gentle trip on a restored old paddle
steamer, the PS Waimarie. Regular cruises operate on the
Whanganui River
- Pipiriki village (on the
banks of the Whanganui River)
- Short bush walks and
treks: venture into the Whanganui National Park
- The Bridge to Nowhere:
take a jet boat tour and a guided walk to this famous
bridge, which was built across the Mangapurua Gorge to
give access to a pioneering settlement that did not
eventuate. Trips leave from Pipiriki
- Whanganui River Mail Run:
join a mini-coach trip travelling from Wanganui to
Pipiriki and return through the heart of the Whanganui
National Park - a great way to experience rural New
Zealand
- Durie Hill: take the
tunnel and elevator to the top for commanding views of
Wanganui and surrounding countryside
- Tours of local gardens
For more information visit www.rivernz.com
En route to New Plymouth in the Taranaki region are a
number of attractions to consider:
- The Dairyland Visitor
Centre in Hawera explains how the dairy industry in
New Zealand works and its importance to the New Zealand
economy
- Hawera's Tawhiti Museum
has excellent displays of the early European pioneering
heritage of the region
- The Taranaki Pioneer
Village in Stratford also brings alive the history of
the area
- Hollards Gardens,
Kaponga, has a significant collection of rhododendrons
and unusual plants
- Dawson Falls is
accessible from the southern end of Mt Taranaki
The Taranaki region is dominated
by Mt Taranaki and the surrounding Egmont National Park. The
region is well known for its silver sand surfing beaches and
glorious parks and gardens, particularly the dazzling array of
rhododendrons and azaleas on display in spring. Many of the
area's magnificent private gardens are open for public viewing
year round.
Visitors can choose from the following activities in
the Taranaki region:
- Parks and gardens:
Taranaki is blessed with long sunshine hours, high
rainfall and volcanic soil that produce gardens abounding
in colour, shape and texture. Specialist roses,
rhododendrons, fuchsias and native plants are in
abundance in the region
- The Sugar Loaf Islands
Marine Reserve: see the seals and other marine life.
Cruise tours are available daily (weather dependent) with
Chaddy's Charters
- Paritutu Rock: a climb
to the top of this volcanic remnant on the New Plymouth
coast is worth the view!
- Swimming: swim at one
of Taranaki's pristine and sparkling beaches (many are
patrolled by life-guards in the summer)
- Cape Egmont Lighthouse: a
spectacular backdrop of the mountain makes this a
wonderful spot for photos
- Lake Mangamahoe: take
a short drive south of New Plymouth to see views of Mt
Taranaki/Egmont
- Govett-Brewster Art
Gallery: visit this contemporary art museum
- Fun Ho! toy museum:
see over 3000 locally made toys dating from 1936
Visitors able to stay
additional days in the Taranaki region can choose from the
following activities and attractions:
- Whitecliffs Walkway:
tackle the five-hour walkway, where visitors will see
Taranaki's white cliffs and the 'Three Sisters' rock
formations. Walk through the hand-hewn Te Horo tunnel,
which leads from the beach to farmland
- Rock climbing and
abseiling: choose from various mountain and coastal
locations
- Cycling tours: enjoy a
cycling experience, from a sedate cycle through historic
Taranaki villages, rural and bush landscapes to hard and
fast mountain bike trail riding
- Dam dropping on
Waingongoro River: experience a guided 8 metre/26
foot drop over a dam on a three-hour heart-pumping
experience
- Canoe adventures: three
Taranaki rivers offer varying degrees of difficulty
- Guided tours: join a
tour to historic spots, including the sites of the
Taranaki Land Wars of the 1800s, New Zealand's only
stockade replica at Omata and the Maori siege pa (a
fortress)
- Big-game and line fishing:
both are on offer in the Taranaki region
- Surf Highway 45: drive
this 106 km/66 mile round-the-coast road from New
Plymouth to Hawera, where visitors can discover great
surf spots
- Surf and windsurfing
lessons: for those with less time on their hands, try
tandem surfing with an expert surfer! All gear is
provided
- Taranaki heritage trail: follow
the trail around Mt Taranaki. Non-stop the trail can be
driven in two hours, however it is suggested that a full
day be taken with stops to visit sites
- Bush walks and treks in
Egmont National Park:
- Tramp to the top of
Mt Taranaki/Egmont with a professional guide.
Organised summit climbs run throughout February.
Visitors can enjoy the invigoration of a 2518
metre/8255 foot climb above sea level with views
to the three North Island mountains
- Mt Taranaki has more
than 300 km/186 miles of walking tracks, ranging
from 10-minute nature walks or four hours over
the Pouakai Ranges, to a 3-day, 55 km/34 mile
trek around the mountain. www.doc.govt.nz click
on Recreation then National Parks
For more information on the
Taranaki region visit www.taranaki.org.nz
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