Must see attractions in Taranaki & Whanganui

Elvis lives! At least he does at Kevin D Wasley's astonishing museum, which houses more than 10,000 of the King’s records and a mind-blowing collection of…

This two-headed artistic beast is arguably NZ's best regional art gallery, presenting contemporary – and often experimental and provocative – local and…

Spend an hour or two in one of NZ’s better natural history museums. Te Atihaunui-a-Pāpārange Māori exhibits include an amazing waka (canoe), fire-hardened…

Lush Pukekura has 49 hectares of gardens, playgrounds, trails, streams, waterfalls, ponds and display houses. In summer, rowboats (per half-hour $15)…

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…

Fans of the oval ball holler about the New Zealand Rugby Museum, an amazing space overflowing with rugby paraphernalia, from a 1905 All Blacks jumper to a…

Palmerston's North's iconic new landmark is this elegant 194m-long bridge over the Manawatu River – a critical link in a 9km network of cycling and…

The elegant old neoclassical Sarjeant Gallery building in Queens Park is closed for earthquake-proofing. In the interim, the gallery's estimable art…

The pick of Whanganui's many glass studios. Watch glass-blowers working, check out the gallery, take a one-day glass-blowing course ($290, four people max…

Te Manawa merges a museum and art gallery into one experience, with vast collections joining the dots between art, science and history. The museum has a…

Across City Bridge from downtown Whanganui, this elevator was built with grand visions for Durie Hill’s residential future. Beyond an entrance lined with…

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 …

With no roads on either side, you don't need to be a genius to decipher this bridge's name. Originally built so that horses could cross the river to…

The historical displays here are interesting, but everyone's here for the PS Waimarie, the last of the Whanganui River paddle steamers. In 1900 it was…

Across the City Bridge from town and 1km towards the sea is the Putiki Church (aka St Paul’s Memorial Church). It’s unremarkable externally, but just like…

The town of Whangamomona (population 40) is a highlight. This quirky village declared itself an independent republic in 1989 after disagreements with…

Follow the Whanganui River's western riverbank seawards for 8km and you'll arrive in Castlecliff, a wonderfully low-key beach 'burb dominated by a huge…

You can access Waihi Beach by turning into Denby Rd and descending the steep gravel track from the carpark. At low tide you can walk to Ohawe Beach (or do…

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…

Kai Iwi is a wild ocean frontier, strewn with black sand, a ruined WWII gun emplacement and masses of driftwood (you might see locals collecting it for…