Places to Explore

• Cambridge

  Because it's on State Highway 1, Cambridge provides a good lunch break on your way elsewhere. But this cute town, with its galleries, cafés, historic buildings, and rural English character, is worth... (more)

• Egmont National Park

• Hawera

  This quiet country town, a hub for the farming community, can give you a close look at the local history and way of life. For the more adventurous there is the opportunity to "dam-drop" on the Waingongoro... (more)

• New Plymouth

  New Plymouth serves one of New Zealand's most productive dairy regions as well as the gas and oil industries. This natural wealth translates into an optimistic outlook that is reflected in New Plymouth's... (more)

• Palmerston North

  Palmerston North—or "Palmy" as the locals call it—is home to several major educational and research institutes. Thanks to these, young students make up one-third of Palmerston North's population... (more)

• Raglan

  It's hard to think of a more laid-back, welcoming town than Raglan. On the drive out, tune in to radio station Raglan FM 98.1 to catch the local news and grooves. On sheltered Raglan Harbour, and in the... (more)

• Stratford

  The town of Stratford sits under the eastern side of Mt. Taranaki, and is a service town for surrounding farms. Its streets are named after characters from Shakespeare's works, and it has the first glockenspiel... (more)

• Waitomo

  A short drive from the main highway, Waitomo is a small but busy rural village catering to tourists visiting the region's famous cave systems. There's a small but good selection of cafés and a tavern... (more)

• Wanganui

  Wanganui is a river city and the Whanganui River its raison d'être. It began as a small port settlement and a transport junction between the sea and the river, which is navigable for miles into the... (more)

• The Whanganui River and Whanganui National Park