New Plymouth Overview

Residents of New Plymouth (pop. 49,200) love to point out that surfing the Tasman and skiing Mt. Taranaki are both within an hour’s drive. While this is indeed an enticing proposition for sports enthusiasts, Taranaki’s only urban center manages to make waves of its own. Featuring art galleries, renowned parks, and numerous walks, New Plymouth might capture your attention as more than just a fueling station between snow and surf.

• Buses: Depart from Ariki St., near Egmont St. InterCity (☎759 9039) runs to Auckland (6hr., 2 per day, $55-65), via Hamilton (4hr., $35-41); Wellington (6hr., 2-3 per day, $50-59), via Stratford (30min., $13-15); Hawera (1hr., $18-21); Wanganui (2hr., $26-30); and Palmerston North (4hr., $34-40). Dalroy Express (☎759 0197 or 0508 465 622; www.dalroytours.co.nz) runs to Auckland (5hr., 1 per day, $57), via Hamilton (3hr., $35); and Hawera (1hr., $15). White Star (☎758 3338) runs to Wellington (6hr., 1-2 per day, $48), via Wanganui (2hr., $24); and Palmerston North (4hr., $32).
• Taxis: Energy City Cabs (☎757 5580) wait at Brougham and Devon St.
• Car Rental: First Choice (☎758 0546) and Rent-a-Dent (☎757 5362) are both located at 585-595 Devon St. East. Daily rates from $45.
• Hitchhiking: Although Let’s Go doesn’t recommend it, hitchhiking to Wanganui is easiest near the outskirts of town on SH3, near the racecourse.

Orientation And Practical Information

New Plymouth is located at the junction of SH3 and SH45. The main thoroughfare is Devon Street, which runs east-west through town. Pukekura Park sits in the center of the city while the Tasman Sea makes waves to the north.

• Visitors Center:  New Plymouth i-Site (☎759 6060; www.newplymouthnz.com), inside the Puke Ariki museum. Internet $2 per 20min.; $5 per hr. Open M-Tu and Th-F 9am-6pm, W 9am-9pm, Sa-Su 9am-5pm.
• Department of Conservation (DOC): 220 Devon St. West (☎759 0350). Open M-F 8am-4:30pm.
• Banks and Currency Exchange: TSB Foreign Exchange, 120 Devon St. East (☎968 3712). Open M-F 9am-4:30pm, Sa 10am-noon.
• Library and Internet Access: New Plymouth Library (☎758 4544), in Puke Ariki on Brougham St., has Internet for members. Open M-Tu and Th-F 9am-6pm, W 9am-9pm, Sa-Su 9am-5pm.
• Police: 89-95 Powderham St. (☎757 5449).
• Medical Services: Care Chemist, 10 Egmont St. (☎757 4614). Open daily 8:30am-9:30pm. Accident and Medical Clinic (☎759 4295), in Richmond Centre on Egmont St. Open daily 8am-8pm. Taranaki Base Hospital (☎753 6139), on David St.
• Post Office: (☎759 8931), on Currie St. Open M-F 7:30am-5:30pm, Sa 9am-1pm.

Accommodations And Camping

Hostels in town are reliable, if not outstanding. For a step up in creature comforts and privacy, call the i-Site for information on New Plymouth’s B&Bs ($35-150).

• Belt Road Seaside Holiday Park, 2 Belt Rd. (☎758 0228 or 0800 804 204; www.beltroad.co.nz). The 25min. walk from town yields rewards: a giant jumping pillow and an exquisite view of the sea. Linen $5. Tent spots on grassy knolls and powered sites $14 per person. 2-person cabins $45, with bath $75; self-contained units $8. MC/V.
• Seaspray House (BBH), 13 Weymouth St. (☎759 8934; seaspray@maxnet.co.nz), a 10min. walk to town. Sisters Sarah and Janine welcome backpackers to spacious, bunk-free rooms styled like a boho chic playground. Internet $6 per hr. Pick-up from bus stop available. Dorms $25, doubles $60. $5 BBH discount. Cash only.
• Shoestring Backpackers (BBH), 48 Lemon St. (☎758 0404), a 5min. walk from the town center. Placid surroundings make this backpackers tops, and that’s not counting the sauna ($8). Call ahead for pickup. Linen $3. Dorms $24; singles $38; doubles $57, with TV $59; motel units $80. $3 BBH discount. MC/V.
• Sunflower Lodge (BBH), 25 Ariki St. (☎759 0050; www.sunflowerlodge.co.nz), across from the i-Site. A social crowd and key location make for an exciting night—why not spend it on the rooftop patio? On-street parking. All rooms have bath. Surfboard and bike rental $20. Linen $2. Key deposit $10. Dorms $20-22; singles $50; twins and doubles $55. MC/V.
• Egmont Eco Lodge (BBH/YHA), 12 Clawton St. (☎753 5720; www.taranaki-bakpak.co.nz). Take Frankley Rd. at the Dawson St. fork and follow the signs. Nightly servings of mountain-shaped “Egmont Cake” and the TV-free lounge encourage loafing. Ask the owner about his Hawera farmstay. Key deposit $10. Reception 8-10am, 5-9pm. Dorms $25; doubles $60. Tent sites $12. Cash only.

Food And Nightlife

Devon Street is sprinkled with an assortment of takeaways. For groceries, try Woolworths, at the corner of Leach and Cameron St. (open daily 6am-midnight), or Pak ’N Save, in the Centre City Shopping Centre on Gill St. (Open daily 8am-midnight.)

• Burgers Wisconsin, 144 Devon St. East (☎757 8226). Creative burger options from pumpkin and garlic to chicken chilli jam and cheese ($7-11). Open daily 5pm-late, W-Sa also 11:30am-2pm. MC/V.
• E.S.Presso, (☎759 9399; espcafe@xtra.co.nz), on Brougham St. The food may not heighten your 6th sense, but it will satiate your tastebuds. Veg-heads welcome. Creative breakfast options $9.50-17. Open daily 8am-5pm. MC/V.
• Sandwich Extreme, 52 Devon St. (☎759 6999). This tiny spot lures caffeine addicts and frugal lunchers with sandwiches ($7-9) and veggie mains. Wash them down with an extreme espresso ($2-4). Open M-F 8am-4pm, Sa 8am-3pm. MC/V.
• el Condor, 170 Devon St. (☎757 5436). Renowned for its Argentinian cuisine, el Condor draws flocks of voracious carnivores. Pasta ($18) and gourmet pizzas ($14-24) redeem the restaurant’s tiny size. Open Tu-Sa 5-10pm. MC/V.
• India Today, 40 Devon St. (☎769 9117), serves the best regarded and authentic North Indian cuisine in town. Mains $14-19. Open M-F 11:30am-2:30pm and daily 5:30pm-late. MC/V.
• Snappers (☎769 9344), in the shopping plaza at the corner of Leach and Gover St. Locals rave about the fish ’n chips ($4.20)—sometimes waiting up to 40min. for service. Paua fritters $2. Open Su-Th 4-9pm, F-Sa 11am-9pm. Cash only.
• Matinee, 69 Devon St. West (☎759 2088). A converted movie theater that showcases jazz bands on F evenings. Sa night DJs. Open Tu-Sa 11am-late. MC/V.
• Metropol, 32a Egmont St. (☎758 9788). This handsome restaurant and bar has plenty of outdoor seating on breezy Egmont St., serving up Mediterranean fare and seafood (gingered scallops $27) in the evenings and mixed drinks at night. Open daily 11am-late. MC/V.
• The Mill, 2 Courtenay St. (☎758 1935), at the south end of Currie St. Once a functioning flour mill, the grinding at this local club now involves bodies, not wheat. Music pumps in the basement dance area dubbed Underground. Handles $4.50. Open daily 11am-late. Some nights $10 cover. Underground open Sa 11pm-3am. MC/V.

Sights And Outdoor Activities

On rainy days, head to the town center to see why New Plymouth is the only real roost for Taranaki’s cultural connoisseurs. Devon Street reveals the city’s 19th-century heritage, evinced by artful moldings above storefronts. A few blocks away, at King and Queen St., the sleek  Govett-Brewster Art Gallery houses contemporary art, including the work of legendary Kiwi artist Len Lye. Those amused by Lye’s playful twist on modernity will appreciate his Wind Wand, outside the New Plymouth i-Site. Valued at $300,000, the controversial structure demonstrates Lye’s affinity for using advanced engineering and technology in his artwork. (☎758 5149; www.govettbrewster.org.nz. Open daily 10:30am-5pm. Free.) Adjoining the New Plymouth i-Site is the Puke Ariki Museum, housing interactive displays on Taranaki with one section focusing on a Maori perspective. (☎758 6060. Open M-Tu and Th-F 9am-6pm, W 9am-9pm, Sa-Su 9am-5pm. Free.)

For a firsthand look at New Plymouth’s municipal splendors, head to the contained nature at Pukekura Park at the top of Liardet St., reportedly the most breathtaking urban park in New Zealand. If the weather cooperates, visit the calla lilies in Stainton Dell or the green grandeur of King Fern Gully. Rain or shine, the Fernery awaits hushed footfalls on a carpet of cedar chips. (Fernery open daily 8am-4pm. Main gates to Pukekura Park open daily 8:30am-6pm. Other access points 24hr.) Adjacent to Pukekura Park is the Brooklands, which has a children’s zoo. (Open daily 8:30am-5pm. Free.) The annual Festival of Lights casts a happy glow over the holiday season from Christmas until early Feb. with rotating musical acts accompanying the lightshow.

Once you’ve had your fill of manmade parks, head to one of New Plymouth’s scenic walkways. The Te Henui Walkway (5.9km, 4hr. round-trip) is one of the best, starting from East End Beach and following the Te Henui Stream through natural splendor down to the sea. Another diversion is the Coastal Walkway (7km, 4-5hr. round-trip), which connects Fitzroy Beach in the east to the port area in the west. Watch out for in-line skaters, bikers, and crashing waves. A further 3km west of the port area is Paritutu Rock. Paritutu is an old volcanic plug, the remnants of a former volcano, that stands guard over the towns marina. Epic views of the coast and, on a clear day, Mt. Taranaki, reward those souls who brave the very steep 154m vertical scramble.

With its proximity to the Tasman Sea, New Plymouth also offers a variety of aquatic options. Surfers and windsurfers can get their adrenaline fix year-round at Fitzroy and East End beaches, on the east end of town. The more isolated  Back Beach, past Paritutu Rock 7km west of town, is popular among surfers. Dave Chadfield of Happy Chaddy’s Charters, on Ocean View Parade, offers a cruise in a former English lifeboat around the Sugar Loaf Islands, where you can enjoy a visit to the seal colony. (☎758 9133. $50, children $10. Fishing trips 4hr., $60, min. 6 people. Gear provided. MC/V.)

North of New Plymouth, the Whitecliffs Walkway (9.6km, 3-5hr. one-way; closed July 1-Sept. 30) offers solitude from the summer crowds at New Plymouth’s beaches. Head north on SH3, 37km from New Plymouth, and take a left to the end of Pukearuhe Rd. You can either walk along the beach or along the cliff tops—-beware, this area is being developed as lifestyle blocks, so the solitude may not last that long. The walkway ends at Tongaporutu, the site of the Three Sisters, three 25m pinnacles cut off from the coastline. By car, drive down Clifton Rd., 63km north of New Plymouth on SH3, just before the Tongaporutu Bridge, and walk another 15-20min. For both the Whitecliffs Beach and Three Sisters, only venture out during low tide.