Taranaki Region
The North Island’s “knuckle” sure packs a punch.
Taranaki’s breathtaking landscape includes a perfectly conical snow-capped mountain (Mount
Taranaki), a cosmopolitan big-little-city (New Plymouth), and over 105km of some of the country’s best breaks along the aptly named “Surf Highway 45.” Go from surfing
Taranaki’s world-class breaks, to browsing contemporary art in New Plymouth’s thriving arts scene, to hiking the slopes of Mount
Taranaki. From sea to sky,
Taranaki has it all.
Climate
Wet climate, with snow in winter.
Summer: 20 - 23°C
Winter: 5 - 14°C
Average rainfall: 2132mm/year
Cool Facts
• Mount
Taranaki starred as Mount Fuji in
The Last Samurai.
• Mount Edgmont National Park is actually referring to Mount
Taranaki. Captain Cook initially named the mountain Mount Egmont after the Earl of Egmont, but the name didn’t stick as well as its Maori counterpart,
Taranaki.
• The dormant Mount
Taranaki last erupted 350 years ago, although experts say it’s “overdue” for another.
•
Taranaki is home to the world’s first “sledged hydro dam,” or dam drop, available through
Kaitiaki Adventures in Taranaki. Take a dam, add a few lunatics strapped to body boards and you’ve got a unique Kiwi adrenaline rush!
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