Ring Plain Journal — an independent travel guide to Taranaki, New Zealand
Ring Plain Journal is an independent guide to Taranaki, the region on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island that wraps around a single volcanic cone. We write for people planning a visit: what there is to walk, surf, see and eat between the mountain and the Tasman Sea, how long things take, and what to check before you set out.
Start here
Mountain & outdoorsTaranaki Maunga and its national park
How to visit Taranaki Maunga and the national park around it: the three entry roads, short walks, the Pouakai Crossing, the summit route, safety and the mountain's legal personhood.
Coast & surfSurf Highway 45
A stop-by-stop guide to State Highway 45 between New Plymouth and Hāwera: surf breaks, black-sand beaches, Cape Egmont Lighthouse, Parihaka, Ōpunake and the southern towns.
Coast & surfNew Plymouth Coastal Walkway
A section-by-section guide to New Plymouth's Coastal Walkway, from Port Taranaki to Bell Block: the Wind Wand, Puke Ariki, Te Rewa Rewa Bridge, beaches, distances and tips for walkers and cyclists.
Gardens, art & eventsPukekura Park and the gardens
New Plymouth's historic Pukekura Park, the Bowl of Brooklands, the summer festival of lights and the region's public gardens: Pukeiti, Tūpare and Hollard Gardens, plus the spring garden festival.
New to the region? Our Taranaki visitor guide explains how the region is laid out, when to come and how the towns, the park and the coast fit together. If you are working out a base, see where to stay in Taranaki.
Sections
- Mountain & outdoorsTaranaki Maunga, Egmont National Park, its huts and tracks, and how to walk them safely.
- Coast & surfSurf Highway 45, black-sand beaches, lighthouses and the New Plymouth waterfront.
- Gardens, art & eventsPublic gardens, galleries, kinetic art and the festivals that fill the regional calendar.
- Plan your tripWhere to stay, how to get to Taranaki and how to move around the region.
Recent articles
- Where to stay in Taranaki: choosing a base
How to choose accommodation in Taranaki: New Plymouth, the surf coast, the ring-plain towns, farm stays, holiday parks, campervans and Department of Conservation huts on the mountain.
- Taranaki Maunga and Egmont National Park: a visitor's guide
How to visit Taranaki Maunga and the national park around it: the three entry roads, short walks, the Pouakai Crossing, the summit route, safety and the mountain's legal personhood.
- Surf Highway 45: driving Taranaki's coast road
A stop-by-stop guide to State Highway 45 between New Plymouth and Hāwera: surf breaks, black-sand beaches, Cape Egmont Lighthouse, Parihaka, Ōpunake and the southern towns.
- Pukekura Park and the gardens of Taranaki
New Plymouth's historic Pukekura Park, the Bowl of Brooklands, the summer festival of lights and the region's public gardens: Pukeiti, Tūpare and Hollard Gardens, plus the spring garden festival.
- New Plymouth Coastal Walkway: Wind Wand to Te Rewa Rewa Bridge
A section-by-section guide to New Plymouth's Coastal Walkway, from Port Taranaki to Bell Block: the Wind Wand, Puke Ariki, Te Rewa Rewa Bridge, beaches, distances and tips for walkers and cyclists.
- Len Lye Centre and the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery
Who Len Lye was, why his work is in New Plymouth, what the Len Lye Centre and the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery show, and how to plan a visit.
How we work
Every article is written by the editors from public sources, such as the Department of Conservation, regional and district councils, museums and New Zealand legislation, which are listed at the end of each piece. We do not take payment from operators, we do not publish prices or opening hours that change from season to season, and we point readers to the official source whenever conditions matter, as they do on the mountain. Ring Plain Journal is not a tourism board or an official information service; more about the publication and the history of this domain is on the about page.