March 06, 2014
The Taranaki region sits way out on the westernmost point of the North Island, far away from everyplace else.
The iconic landmark of this area is the volcano-shaped Mount Taranaki. With it’s perfect cone shape and large size (8000 feet high!), it’s New Zealand’s most recognizable mountain, its solitary presence creating a striking backdrop for this area. It’s also the location of the lushly primeval Egmont National Park.
Mount Taranaki sits inland from artsy, eccentric New Plymouth, a small city with a busy deep-water port and offshore oil rigs. Remote and surrounded by dairy farms, it would be easy to assume that New Plymouth must be a rural sort of place, but it’s not. Different, yes, but justifiably proud of its cultural amenities which include art galleries, mural-sided buildings, world-class festivals, sculptures, and beautiful parks and gardens. It’s actually received a Liveable Communities Award for “Best city of its size in the world.” Whether one would agree or not, it goes to show that, “no one puts New Plymouth in the corner!”
Thirty minutes after leaving the Forgotten World Highway, we entered New Plymouth. Arriving here was actually a pretty cool experience because the city lies on a slope; so it’s a place one drives down into, getting frequent glimpses of the ocean from between the buildings. The city was rather nondescript in the upper areas, but as we got closer to the water the buildings became more historic with lots of character and charm, actually reminding me a bit of New Orleans. The shoreline of this city is mostly dark sand and rocks, but just around the headland were the nicer beaches and famous surf breaks.
As we drove through the area, we could see this town was all about art as murals and graffiti (the kind done by professional artists, not taggers) covered many of the building walls. In fact creative, arty touches seemed to be everywhere. Below, a few photos from around New Plymouth (click to enlarge any photo).
Our Mystery Deal had turned out to be a Copthorne Hotel, a mid-priced chain of hotels in New Zealand. I worried when I first saw the building, which looked rather dated and funky, but inside the hotel was beautiful. It was almost as though this was a deliberate design choice and fit well with the character of this town. Our room was very nice, and I was thrilled to see a big, deep tub!
After settling into our room, we decided to walk down to the Coastal Walkway and take in some of the city’s sights. We walked past the Puke Ariki Cultural Center which serves as a museum, library and information center. It was closed for the evening but we could still admire the innovative and uniquely beautiful main building. We also walked by the Wind Wand, a kinetic sculpture consisting of a 160-foot long red tube with a ball at the end. It stands vertical in still air but dips and bends with the wind. This piece was done by the renowned artist, Len Lye, and since our visit, the city has constructed an entire building, a piece of art itself, devoted to his work. (Maybe we’ll get back to see it someday.)
We continued to the New Plymouth Coastal Walkway which followed the shoreline, heading south to the harbor area known as Breakwater Bay. We walked out onto the wharf and checked out the local boats. Our cruising plan at this point was to sail to the tropics in June, then instead of returning to the New Zealand’s North Island for cyclone season, head directly to the South Island. But seeing this harbor gave us the idea that maybe we could check into New Plymouth before continuing to the South Island, which would knock a couple of days off the trip. We decided to visit the local customs office the next morning and see if that would be possible.
As the sun was starting to set we decided to head back to our hotel, checking out other areas of town as we went. At this point we felt pretty taken with this place, and I think part of the appeal came from its sloped angle. We were always looking up at hilly streets and the buildings that stair-stepped alongside them. For me, there is just a special feeling to hillside cities with their hidden spots and cozy nooks.
We stopped for dinner at an Italian restaurant before heading back to our room. Getting a mini bottle of champagne from the fridge, I went to enjoy my “bubbles” (what Kiwis like to call champagne) while sitting in the bubbles of the jacuzzi tub. This was a great end to another special day. –Cyndi
