Top 10 Things to Do in Taranaki After Blitzing the Oxfam Trailwalker 2022
When a perfectly formed stratovolcano sets up shop in a coastal region, encircled by a vast ring plain forged from volcanic lahars and landslides flowing across the landscape to meet a pristine coastline, this sets the foundation for some startlingly diverse terrain.
This is precisely the geographic dynamic of New Zealand’s breathtaking Taranaki region – from the solitary snow-capped cone of its crowning glory, Taranaki Maunga dominating the landscape, ensconced with alpine tussock fields and subalpine scrub, giving way to lush native rainforest, waterfalls and mossy semi-swamp lowlands that eventually converge on the stunning black sand beaches and surf of the Tasman Sea.
With this geographic diversity comes a whole myriad of opportunities to savour and celebrate the region’s rich offerings of history, flora and fauna, and it certainly feels like Taranaki is having a moment in terms of all that it has to offer in the way of wining, dining, adventuring, taking in the arts, culture, and knocking off some bucket-list-worthy moments.
Hands-down one of the most awe-inspiring experiences the region has to offer is the opportunity to experience the Taranaki landscape in unparalleled fashion courtesy of the epic Oxfam Trailwalker, which kicks off in the region from 26 to 27 March next year. Traversing private land not often made accessible to the public and offering the unique picture-postcard view of Maunga Taranaki presiding to your left and the Tasman Sea to your right, while helping Oxfam Aotearoa tackle injustice and poverty is a rewarding win-win. More specifically, since 2006, Oxfam Trailwalker has managed to raise a whopping $13 million towards working with some of the world’s most at-risk communities in the Pacific and around the world, to help empower communities with tools, education, experience, and knowledge to work their way out of poverty.
What is touted as New Zealand’s greatest team endurance event offers the option for you and three friends, colleagues, or family members to challenge your personal limits with the option of walking 100 kilometres through a stunningly diverse terrain of native bush, beach, pasture farmland, DOC trails, and forestry roads in 36 hours or alternatively, 50 kilometres in 18 hours.
Once you have checked off this epic challenge for good, it would be a shame not to pause a touch longer in Taranaki to take in just how much the region has to offer. While this top 10 list simply doesn’t do justice to the rich variety of experiences on offer, it will at least give you a taste of the top-notch boutique experiences and adventures to be had in the presence of the magnificent Taranaki Maunga.
Eat – Visit Liardet Street Projects
Check out Gamma Ray’s Burgers, which is a part of this boutique buzzing food truck hub in the heart of Taranaki. We are not sure who’s in charge of their marketing but they certainly are passionate and a fan of the symbol buttons on their keyboard. The information on their Facebook Page is simply “The BEST M@#%^&*^$#@N Burgers in the galaxy!” We can’t verify this claim but the burgers are said to be amazing.
Eat – Meat & Liquor
Did you realise that there are 995,000,000 Google pages worth of websites dedicated to generating restaurant names? We didn’t either but a lot of people obviously go to great lengths to work some meaning and story into the name of an establishment. Not so for Meat & Liquor. They don’t need some flowery descriptor symbolising the fall of the Napoleonic era to add excitement to what they are doing. They just make great food, mainly Meat & Liquor. Simple. But do it really, really well. Their prime cuts of meat have been selected from farms with considered agriculture practices and they have an extensive wine list to match. Oh, and their crème brûlée is to die for. Meat & Liquor & Crème Brûlée might be pushing the name thing a bit too far though.
Do – Visit the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery / Len Lye Centre
Contemporary art has played such an important role in exploring and shaping the dynamics of society and things that we are trying to work out but can’t yet articulate in words. One of New Zealand’s most important contemporary art museums is the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery. It is also home to the Len Lye Centre, which is the most comprehensive collection of modernist filmmaker and kinetic artist Len Lye whose dynamic work has become a part of New Zealand’s and the global art canon. This iconic art hotspot is a wonderful opportunity to experience this incredible work close up.
Do – Chaddy’s Charters
Chaddy’s Charters offers wildlife boat tours to New Zealand’s northernmost fur seal colony. There’s also bike, kayak and stand-up paddleboard hire and lessons on offer. Okay, this is not the most journalistic thing to do but Derek K via Trip Advisor, say’s this is a “Must Do”. He goes on to sum up his review with, “Awesome staff and truly child-friendly. From feeding seahorses to the boat ride and bike hire. Loved every minute.” And Derek is not the only one. The Trip Advisor ratings are off-the-charts positive and the consensus seems to be that Chaddy’s Charters is another Taranaki must.
Stay – Ahu Ahu Beach Villas
Ahu Ahu Beach Villas are really the manifestation of owners Nuala and David’s desire to live a life connected to nature and moments with each other and friends. The villas themselves have been handcrafted from recyclable materials and wood milled from the land. Much of their food also comes from their own land and with a focus on good quality and seasonal offerings. The heart and love for the area really shows in this place and it will leave a lasting impression.
Drink – Fenton Street Arts Collective
This award-winning Taranaki gem was borne of owners Jo Stallard and Stuart Greenhills’ passion for history and the subjectivity of art. After setting up a boutique Arts Collective in the historic building at 11 Fenton Street, and throwing in a couple more of their other guilty pleasures – espresso and gin distilled in situ – we would say this makes for a pretty stunning combination to both satisfy the eye and the palate. What’s more, the demand for food to be added to the mix was met with equal panache with the establishment now offering five-course degustations during the winter months curated by Stuart’s chef brother Ken Greenhill. “We are 310 metres up a mountain so our aspirations are just as high for each of them.”
Drink – Shining Peak Brewing
There’s nothing like a good craft beer authored by a brewer that really knows their stuff. A jewel in the crown that is Taranaki’s dynamic craft brewery scene is Shining Peak Brewing, fronted by Head Brewer and Director of Beer Jesse Sigurdsson, who has notched up a fair few New Zealand and international beer awards in his time. With a comprehensive curiosity cabinet of craft beers on offer such as their Skunk Juice Hazy IPL, Octopus Clamp Dark Lager, Fanny Fantham’s Lager, and Bogworks Pilsner, it is safe to say your tastebuds are in for quite the rollercoaster of tickling, companioned with some equally great food. What’s more, the Shining Peak Brewing experience adds a touch of “spiritual nourishment” into the mix with the brewery dedicating five percent of beer revenues to local charities and organisations each and every month.
Do – Coastal Walkway
New Plymouth’s 13-kilometre Coastal Walkway makes the most of the dramatic views to be had at sea’s-edge, extending from Pioneer Park at Port Taranaki to the eastern side of Bell Block Beach. Not only is it paved, with various access points along its route for ease of use, plus sporting gentle slopes to suit walkers, runners, and those on all manner of wheels, the award-winning promenade also showcases some dramatic supersized works of art including Len Lye’s iconic 45-metre Wind Wand and the equally spectacular, wave-like Te Rewa Rewa Bridge.
Do – Pouākai Crossing
For those keen-and-eager hikers wanting to get a dose of the beauty of the Taranaki region for a full unadulterated day, the Pouakai Crossing is the one to partake in. Boasting views of Taranaki Maunga, across the expanse of the North Taranaki countryside to the coastline and inland to Mount Ruapehu, this premier walk also gets you up close and personal with towering lava columns of the Dieffenbach Cliffs, the red waters of the Kokowai Stream courtesy of manganese oxide escaping from the earth, and a crossing of the active erosion scar of the Boomerang Slip. As spectacular as this is, this trek is barely getting started, for the Pouākai Crossing goes on to journey through the stirring Ahukawakawa Swamp, across the golden tussocked Pouākai Plateau to the picture-postcard tarns and their flawless mirror reflections of Taranaki Maunga before winding back down through the lush native forest of the lower Pouākai Range. Unforgettable.
Stay – Old Eltham Post Office
If you’re looking for a place to stay in the Taranaki region that exudes the romance of the past, you would be remiss not to check in to The Old Eltham Post Office – more specifically, the freshly renovated 100-square-metre Helena Suite named after Eltham woman Helena Marion Barnard, who received the British Medal of Honour for her earnest efforts in baking and posting a whopping four-and-a-half tonne of gingernuts to soldiers over the two world wars. Built in 1905, this formerly neglected historic gem offers a boutique bed and breakfast stay with all the bells and whistles of a lavish European-style stay.
