New Plymouth

Eltham, Taranaki

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Eltham is a small town in South Taranaki.

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Eltham in named after an English village in Greenwich, England. European settlement began in Eltham in the 1870s. The settlement become a town district in 1884.

Similar to much of Taranaki, Eltham has its roots in dairy.  The first pound of butter was made at Eltham in New Zealand’s first commercial butter factory, which opened in 1887. Today cheese is probably the town’s claim to fame.

Eltham is also known for its Victorian and Edwardian architecture. There is a heritage walking trail with information panels dotted around the township explaining the town’s heritage.

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Also in 2009 the town was the location for a film adaptation of Ronald Hugh Morrieson’s 1975 novel Predicament. Many of the building frontages were renovated and repainted at the time.

The are numerous cafes and shops with antiques, arts and crafts, and vintage and retro clothing. Although when I visited on a Friday many of these businesses were closed, a result of COVID possibly.

There was a small market on, the Friday Eltham Market, which is held nine till noon in the TouchPoint carpark (High Street), weather permitting.

Eltham is approximately 50 kilometres south of New Plymouth. State Highway 3 runs through the town.

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Christmas Village, New Plymouth

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The Christmas Village is a beautiful Christmas shop in New Plymouth.

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The shop has a seven beautifully decorated areas that are each stylised around its own theme. They also have a marquee attached to the main building with more beautiful Christmas items.

Santa’s sleigh is also parked outside the village. Although Santa was not home when I visited.

The village is traditionally open every Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 10am to 4pm. From October it is open 7 days a week.

The Christmas Village will close on 23rd December and reopen for 2020 in April. It is located at 63 Egmont Road, RD 2, New Plymouth.

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New Plymouth Clock Tower

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New Plymouth’s clock tower stands on the corner Robe Street and Devon Street West.

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The original clock tower was part of the Post Office building, which was built in 1906-7. Following an earthquake in 1942 a decision was made to demolish to tower due to safety concerns. Due to opposition the clock tower and post office were not demolished until April 1969.

Residents wanted the clock tower back, so a replica was built in 1985 that incorporated the original clock and its mechanism.

Unfortunately you cannot climb to the top of it. Access to the tower steps are closed off by a gate.

It is best to see when visiting the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery / Lyn Lye Centre, as the clock tower is across the road.

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Govett-Brewster Art Gallery | Len Lye Centre

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The Govett-Brewster Art Gallery and Len Lye Centre is a contemporary art museum and space in New Plymouth.

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The art gallery opened in 1970 in the old Regent Cinema building. The name comes from Monica Brewster (née Govett), who was the founding benefactor.

The gallery traditionally changes its exhibitions three times a year. The gallery also has café and shop.

The Len Lye Centre, which opened in 2015, is located next to the art gallery and houses artist, sculpter, poet and filmmaker Len Lye’s collection and archive, as well as galleries, an education centre and a 62-seat cinema.

The Centre’s with its shimmering mirror-like steel facade is probably one of the most photographed buildings in New Plymouth.

Entry to the gallery is free but donations are appreciated.

The Govett-Brewster Art Gallery and Len Lye Centre is located on the corner of Queen St and Devon St West, New Plymouth.

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Puke Ariki

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Puke Ariki, which opened in 2003, is an combined museum, library and tourist information centre in New Plymouth.

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The Museum has three permanent galleries Taranaki Naturally, Taranaki Life, and Takapou Whāriki. These exhibitions explore Taranaki’s geological, early settler life, and Māori history. There also two temporary galleries for visiting and short term exhibitions.

The Museum is open Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and 9am to 5pm on weekends.

There is an airbridge that links the Museum and i-Site with the public library. The library is open the same hours as the museum, except for a late night on Wednesday with a 9pm closure.

Puke Ariki is located at 1 Ariki Street, New Plymouth.

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Lake Mangamahoe

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Lake Mangamahoe is a 262ha commercial production forest with a scenic park and lake.

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Lake Mangamahoe is popular for mountain biking, walking and running. There are also horse treks.

In 1932 Lake Mangamahoe was created by forming a dam across the valley and submerging 79 acres. The lake is named after the Mangamahoe stream, which flows into the lake.

The Lake Circuit walk will take approximately 1 hour 45 minutes. There is also the Hydro Road Track walk, which is 30 minutes, and a short five minute walk to the Mt. Taranaki Lookout.

Lake Mangamahoe is 10 minutes south of New Plymouth on State Highway 3. Access from Lake Road, at Kent Road Junction. During daylights savings the gate is open 7am to 8:30pm. Outside of daylight savings hours it is open 7am to 6pm.

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Pukekura Park

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Pukekura Park is a Garden of National Significance in New Plymouth covering 52 hectares.

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Pukekura Park contains a range of landscaped gardens, lakes, exotic trees and walking paths through native bush.

It is also is full of history. The park opened in 1876 as a recreational reserve. At that time it was a stream valley full of gorse and wild bush.

In 1878 the main lake was formed by damming the Pukekura Stream that run through the park. In 1884 the ‘Poets Bridge’ was built across the lake. The original bridge was rebuilt in 1938 due to deterioration. Its red colour scheme is based on the Shinkyo Bridge in Nikko, Japan.

In 1888 a bandstand was erected and in 1897, to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, the drinking fountain was unveiled.

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Poets Bridge

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Drinking fountain and bandstand

In 1928 a fernery was built that today has more than 50,000 plants. The Tea House opened in 1931, which is operating today as Tea House on the Lake, it is open from 9am to 4pm.

There is a waterfall that opened in 1970. It has three main cascades. The highest is 10.6 metres. It uses water from the adjacent lake. Water at the foot of the waterfall is recycled through a pumphouse to a small pool at the top.

To celebrate the park’s centenary a water wheel was erected in 1976.

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Waterfall

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Water wheel

The park was named Pukekura Park in 1907 after the stream that run through the park.

Pukekura Park is also home to the Sports Grounds, TSB Bowl of Brooklands, and the the Brookland Zoo.

The main gate to Pukekura Park is at 10 Fillis Street, New Plymouth.

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Tūpare Gardens

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Tūpare is a former private gardens open to the public in New Plymouth.

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Tūpare is a 3.6 hectare heritage property managed by the Taranaki Regional Council, which means it is open and free to the public to visit.

Businessman Sir Russell Matthews and his wife Mary purchased the property on on the edge of the Waiwhakaiho River in 1931. At that time it was covered in blackberry, gorse and bracken. They begun building a home and developing the landscape gardens.

The Tudor-style house was designed by James Chapman-Taylor. There was a disagreement between Matthews and Chapman-Taylor over the size of the dining room and Matthews ended the agreement. Matthews did follow the original plans and it took him 12 years to complete construction.

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Tūpare was purchased by the Queen Elizabeth II National Trust in 1984 and opened to the public.

The word tūpare means ‘garland of flowers’.

There are three suggested walking routes around Tūpare. The Boundary Trail circles around the property through Redwoods, bush and the garden. The Garden Walk criss-crosses through the main garden areas. The House Stroll is an easier walk through the some of the popular areas of the of the garden.

Dogs and bicycles are not permitted in the gardens.

The gardens are free to visit and are open 9am to 8pm during daylight savings and 9am to 5pm during the winter.

Tūpare is at 487 Mangorei Road, near the intersection with State Highway 3.

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Paritutu Rock

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Paritutu Rock is a volcanic remnant on the eastern end of New Plymouth’s harbour.

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Paritutu Rock, which sits between Ngamotu Beach and Back Beach, stands at 156 metres. It used to be taller, but the summit was flattened by Māori to make a level site for shelter and food storage pits.

There is a track on the northern side of the rock. It take approximately 15 minutes to reach the top.

The first section of the walk is series of steps. The rest of the walk there is a chain to help you climb.

The summit provides views of the city, the port, Sugar Loaf Island and the Tasman Sea.

Access to the carpark below Paritutu Rock is off Centennial Drive, New Plymouth.

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Te Rewa Rewa Bridge

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Te Rewa Rewa Bridge is a pedestrian and cycleway bridge that crosses the Waiwhakaiho River in New Plymouth.

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The bridge is a highlight on the 12.7 km New Plymouth Coastal Walkway, that runs from Pioneer Park at Port Taranaki to Bell Block Beach.

The 2.85 million dollar construction project began in 2008 and the bridge opened in June of 2010. The steel arch, concrete deck bridge is 70 metres in length and 2.5 metres wide. At it’s highest point it reaches 10 metres.

The Waiwhakaiho River, that it crosses, is a 30 km (19 mile) long river that flows off the the slopes of Mount Taranaki / Egmont to the Tasman Sea, near the suburb of Fitzroy.

The Te Rewa Rewa Bridge can be accessed off Clemow Road, Fitzroy, New Plymouth.

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