New Plymouth Tourist Attractions
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Under the north side of the Taranaki or Mount Egmont volcano (Taranaki, Egmont National Park) is the port of New Plymouth (pop. 50,000), an industrial town and commercial center of a farming region.
Pukara Park
Pukara Park is laid out in Victorian style, with a fountain that is illuminated after dark and a waterfall.
Brookland Park
Adjoining Pukara Park is Brookland Park, another attractive open space.
The Gables
Nearby is The Gables, a wooden house built in 1848. It was originally a hospital but later was used as military quarters and an old people's home. It was moved to its present site in the early 20th C. It is now used for art exhibitions and cultural events.
Taranaki Museum
The Taranaki Museum has a large collection of Maori objects from the region, including a stone used as an anchor, a stone axe from an ancestral canoe, a chief's cloak, old sculpture and woodcarving. There is also material on the early days of the settlers.
Richmond Cottage
Beside the Taranaki Museum is Richmond Cottage, built on another site in 1853 as a schoolhouse and moved to its present position in 1962. It is furnished in period style and illustrates life in a well-to-do 19th C household.
Marsland Hill
Marsland Hill (wide views) can be climbed either from Robe Street or from St Mary's Church. The summit, which was gradually leveled over the centuries, was once occupied by a Maori pa. During the land wars British troops were stationed on the hill.
St Mary's Church
On Marsland Hill, in the center of the town, is one of the oldest stone churches in New Zealand (built for Bishop Selwyn in 1842), with a fine interior. During the land wars it served as a military post and ammunition depot. In the churchyard are the graves of early settlers.
Govett-Brewster Art Gallery
This gallery presents contemporary New Zealand art. The collection includes works by Len Lye (sculpture, pictures).
Power Station
New Plymouth's power station (1977; Breakwater Road) was originally coal fired, but was converted to gas after the discovery of natural gas nearby. Its 200 m chimney is a landmark visible from far and wide.
Surroundings
There are several attractions in the New Plymouth surrounding area which can be easily visited on a day trip from the city.
Hurworth
A few kilometers south of New Plymouth is the old immigrant settlement of Hurworth, which still preserves a small homestead built in 1855 by Harry Atkinson (1831-92), an opponent of Governor Gray who played a prominent part in the Taranaki land war and later became a highly respected politician (three times premier of New Zealand).
Pukeiti Rhododendron Trust
In the nearby expanse of rain forest between mounts Patuha (683m) and Pouakai (1400m) is the Pukeiti Rhododendron Trust, a large nature reserve that is brilliant with blossom in spring.
Pungarehu
At Pungarehu, 40km southwest of New Plymouth, a road goes off to Cape Egmont, with a lighthouse built in 1881. On the cape are numerous striking conical lava formations.
Urenui
15km further east is Urenui, birthplace of the famous Maori scholar and politician Peter Buck, who is buried under a stone canoe prow near the old Maori fortified settlement of Okoki Pa.
