Adjoining Pukekura Park, Brooklands Park is home to the Bowl of Brooklands, a world-class natural amphitheatre and sound-shell that hosts the annual WOMAD festival and old-school rockers like Fleetwood Mac; the talent is separated from the rabid fans by a little lake. Park highlights include a 2000-year-old puriri tree, some colossal Monterrey and Norfolk Island pines, a 300-variety rhododendron dell and the farmy (and free!) Brooklands Zoo.
Brooklands Park
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre
1.07 MILES
This two-headed artistic beast is arguably NZ's best regional art gallery, presenting contemporary – and often experimental and provocative – local and…
0.56 MILES
Lush Pukekura has 49 hectares of gardens, playgrounds, trails, streams, waterfalls, ponds and display houses. In summer, rowboats (per half-hour $15)…
1.09 MILES
Translating as ‘Hill of Chiefs’, Puke Ariki was once a pā (fortified village) site, and is now home to the i-SITE, a fab regional museum, a library, a…
3.3 MILES
At 156m, this craggy, steep-sided hill is almost as tall as New Plymouth's old power-station chimney down at the port (198m). Paritutu translates as …
10.69 MILES
This sprawling garden, 23km south of New Plymouth, is home to thriving masses of rhododendrons and azaleas. The blooms are at their bloomin' best between…
2.65 MILES
Just past the Fitzroy Golf Course and accessible via Fitzroy Seaside Park or Peringa Park, this 83m-long bridge crosses Waiwhakaiho River and is part of…
Sugar Loaf Islands Marine Park
4.43 MILES
About 1km offshore, these rugged islets (Ngā Motu in Māori) are eroded volcanic remnants, offering refuge for 10,000 sea birds and a colony of NZ fur…
20.43 MILES
A replica of the Cape Egmont Lighthouse, the Historic Cape Light & Museum is at the end of Bayly Rd, a touch further north around the coast from the…
Nearby attractions
0.09 MILES
A short drive uphill from the city centre in Brooklands Park is this farmy little zoo. Adorable cotton-top tamarins, wandering chooks and the walk-through…
0.56 MILES
Lush Pukekura has 49 hectares of gardens, playgrounds, trails, streams, waterfalls, ponds and display houses. In summer, rowboats (per half-hour $15)…
0.76 MILES
Atop Marsland Hill (great views!) is this wee observatory, with one of the most powerful public-access telescopes in NZ.
0.78 MILES
On top of Marsland Hill is the cacophonous 37-bell Kibby Carillon, a huge automated glockenspiel-like device that tolls out across the New Plymouth…
5. Taranaki Cathedral Church of St Mary
0.88 MILES
The austere Church of St Mary (1846) is NZ's oldest stone church and its newest cathedral! Its graveyard has the headstones of early settlers and soldiers…
1.03 MILES
If you lose your bearings in downtown New Plymouth (or just want to know the time), look for the kooky, stripy clock tower, which is often luridly lit at…
7. Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre
1.07 MILES
This two-headed artistic beast is arguably NZ's best regional art gallery, presenting contemporary – and often experimental and provocative – local and…
1.08 MILES
Developed in the 1980s, Puke Akiri Landing connects the city centre with the foreshore. The grassy area in front of Puke Ariki features a large, carved…