Discover New Plymouth

New Plymouth combines a long coastal walkway with parkland, wildlife encounters, art and history. The Coastal Walkway is 13.2 kilometres long and runs from Port Taranaki to the eastern end of Bell Block Beach. There are also the 52 hectares of Pukekura Park and individual attractions such as Brooklands Zoo. This gives you the option of deciding whether to focus your trip on exercise, botanical sights, animals or culture.

The Coastal Walkway: a route for different ways of getting around

The paved Coastal Walkway has a few gentle slopes. It is suitable for walking and running, as well as cycling, skateboarding, skating and scootering. If you enjoy getting around on wheels, this offers different options from exploring the route on foot. Its length of 13.2 kilometres is a useful reference point for planning your day; it does not indicate how long you will need for a section of your choice. The route runs between Port Taranaki and the eastern end of Bell Block Beach, providing clear start and end points for navigation.

Pukekura Park and Brooklands Zoo

In the heart of New Plymouth is the 52-hectare Pukekura Park, one of New Zealand’s leading botanical gardens. Its features include lakes and walking paths through native bush. The Fernery and Display Houses are particularly distinctive: they consist of three glass-roofed caverns excavated into a hillside. So, alongside paths and bodies of water, the park also offers this unusual structure built into the hillside.

Brooklands Zoo has its own access route: the entrance is at the upper end of Brooklands Park Drive. The zoo can also be reached on foot from the city centre through Pukekura Park. Animals on view include farm animals, reptiles and amphibians, meerkats, Bolivian squirrel monkeys, capuchin monkeys and white-faced sakis. A walk-through free-flight aviary features colourful birds. There is also a playground and outdoor areas for visitors. If you are travelling with children, you can plan animal encounters and time at the playground as separate parts of your visit.

Art and history in New Plymouth

The Govett-Brewster Art Gallery | Len Lye Centre is a founding member of the Coastal Arts Trail. This self-guided route takes you to art galleries and museums on the west coast of the North Island, from Wellington through Palmerston North and Whanganui to New Plymouth. For your travel planning, it provides a cultural point of reference that places New Plymouth within a wider sequence of art and museum destinations.

Te Henui Vicarage also tells the story of the area’s history. Its outstanding historical significance is based on its direct connection to the founding of the Church of England in New Zealand. The coat of arms of Bishop Selwyn of the undivided Diocese of New Zealand, set into the masonry, represents this connection. The vicarage is classified as a Historic Place Category 1. The building is privately owned and not open to the public, so it is of interest as a historical reference but is not a public visitor attraction.

For another route through New Plymouth, the Te Henui Walkway runs along Te Henui Stream and connects the Coastal Walkway with the suburbs of Merrilands and Welbourn. If you enjoy discovering different aspects of a place, New Plymouth offers both a long paved route with several ways to get around, and park paths, wildlife encounters and cultural history. When searching for a holiday rental, these interests can help you decide what kind of stay you are planning.

Discover more places

You can also expand your search to Hillsborough, Egmont Village and Oakura.

For the broader travel overview: New Plymouth District.