Taranaki Region, Administrative region on the western coast of North Island, New Zealand.
Description
Taranaki is an administrative region on the western coast of New Zealand's North Island, covering around 7,000 square kilometers. Mount Taranaki, a dormant stratovolcano rising over 2,500 meters, dominates the landscape as the central feature and defines the geography of three main districts that make up the territory.
History
The region was home to Maori settlements for centuries before Europeans arrived in 1841 and founded New Plymouth as the first European settlement. This arrival marked a turning point that reshaped the territory's population, land use, and development.
Culture
Maori heritage runs deep in this region, with local iwi maintaining ancestral connections to the land through ceremonies, place names, and everyday cultural practices. The influence shapes how communities celebrate their identity and interact with the surrounding landscape.
Practical
The region is administered by a regional council based in Stratford, managing environmental and transportation matters across the territory. Visitors should expect changeable weather and plan to explore by car, as the main districts are spread across considerable distances.
Did you know?
The territory is shaped by volcanic soil that forms a circular ring of exceptional fertility around Mount Taranaki, making it one of the country's most productive dairy regions. This fertile plain creates a distinctive landscape pattern visible even from a distance.
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Taranaki Maunga
6 km
Parihaka
25.8 km
Egmont National Park
7.1 km
Te Rewa Rewa Bridge
29.2 km
Bridge to Nowhere
72.3 km
Pukekura Park
26.6 km
Festival of Lights
26.6 km
Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre
27.4 km
New Plymouth Coastal Walkway
27.8 km
Puke Ariki
27.6 kmPukeiti Garden
17.2 km
TSB Stadium
26.4 km
Cape Egmont Lighthouse
32.7 km
Mount Damper Falls
70.6 km
The Taranaki Cathedral Church of St Mary
27.2 km
Lake Rotorangi
39.4 km
Bushy Park / Tarapuruhi
87.9 km
Lake Rotokare
29.2 km
Bertrand Road suspension bridge
30 km
Lake Mangamahoe
19.7 km
Tūpare
23.6 km
Bushy Park Homestead
88.1 km
New Plymouth Observatory
26.9 km
Whiteley Mission House
27.4 km
Te Henui Vicarage
27.7 km
Te Rere o Kapuni
3.6 kmParininihi Marine Reserve
59.2 kmTapuae Marine Reserve
28 kmDiscover hidden gems everywhere you go!
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