Must-see attractions in Taranaki & Whanganui

  • Tupare

    New Plymouth

    Tupare is a Tudor-style house designed by the renowned architect James Chapman-Taylor. It's as pretty as a picture, but the highlight of this 7km trip…

  • Taranaki Cathedral Church of St Mary

    New Plymouth

    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…

  • Hurworth Cottage

    New Plymouth

    This 1856 cottage, 8km south of New Plymouth, was built by four-time NZ prime minister Harry Atkinson. The cottage is the sole survivor of a settlement…

  • Koriniti Marae

    Taranaki & Whanganui

    Unless there's a function happening, you can wander around Koriniti Marae and the little white-painted Koriniti chapel, between the Whanganui River Rd and…

  • Kawana Flour Mill

    Taranaki & Whanganui

    Just off the Whanganui River Rd near Matahiwi is the restored 1854 Kawana Flour Mill and waterwheel – an exercise in optimism. There's historical info, a…

  • Lift Machinery Housing Lookout

    Whanganui

    High on Durie Hill atop the machinery housing for the Durie Hill Elevator, there's a lookout platform from where the city views are eye-popping. Climb the…

  • Fun Ho! National Toy Museum

    Taranaki & Whanganui

    Inglewood’s cute toy museum exhibits (and sells) old-fashioned sand-cast toys. It doubles as the local visitor information centre. Everybody shout, 'Fun…

  • Percy Thomson Gallery

    Taranaki & Whanganui

    Right next door to Stratford i-SITE, this progressive community gallery (named after a former mayor) displays eclectic local, regional and national art…

  • Ward Observatory

    Whanganui

    Established in 1903, astro-geeks will be delighted to know that this 24cm telescope is the largest unmodified refractor operating in NZ. Roll up on Friday…

  • Clock Tower

    New Plymouth

    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…

  • Kibby Carillon

    New Plymouth

    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…

  • Aramoana Hill

    Taranaki & Whanganui

    From Aramoana Hill, near the southern end of the Whanganui River Rd, there’s a terrific view: peaks, paddocks, poplars and the curling river.

  • Operiki Pa

    Taranaki & Whanganui

    An archaeological site just off the Whanganui River Rd: what was once the centre of somewhere is now the middle of nowhere.

  • New Plymouth Observatory

    New Plymouth

    Atop Marsland Hill (great views!) is this wee observatory, with one of the most powerful public-access telescopes in NZ.

  • War Memorial

    New Plymouth

    An appropriately austere stone New Plymouth landmark that presides over the Coastal Walkway and a public playground.