Bob and I have taken advantage of the rain-free (or almost) last few days to see more of New Plymouth and the greater Taranaki area. In all of our outings, Bob and I continue to be impressed with the diversity of the trees and flowers and how many amazing parks and natural areas we are able to explore for free — no entry fees!
We have continued to do in-town hikes but have also started venturing further afield. In town, we explored the furthest end of the Coastal Walkway in the Bell Block region of New Plymouth, along with the adjacent walkway that follows the Mangati stream (This place is crazy with streams!). We also did a 2 mile walk through town to the Tupare Gardens to then hike/explore the 3 walks on that lovely property. The Tupare Gardens is the former home and gardens of the Russell Matthews family. The home is an English-style cottage and the lawn and terraced gardens flow down from street level to the home and pasture area which sit closer to the Waiwhakaiho River. Really impressive! The walk back from the gardens allowed us to check out another local reserve which we have subsequently taken advantage of for a good off-leash run for Baz and Jess.
We’ve put in a bit of car time as well to reach some of the more out-lying and out-of-town areas. Yesterday, we drove to Lake Mangamahoe for a circuit hike through the forest around the lake and an almost (darn those clouds!) spectacular view of Mount Taranaki before heading to the Pukeiti Gardens which will officially fully open again October 1 to see some of the large rhododendron and other trees that will be fully blooming in a few weeks. The drive itself was an adventure — lots of s curves and narrow bridges, but luckily very little traffic on a weekday in the early season.
We have even traveled about 25 miles out of New Plymouth to the little Shakespearean-inspired town of Stratford (population @ 9,000) to do their Heritage Walk around town, which identify sites of local historical significance, as well as the Carrington Walkway through King Edward Park and along the Patea River. I made Bob take my photo next to their bust of Shakespeare, and we noted many of the street names around town that are inspired by his plays (Elsinore, Cordelia, Regan, etc.). We also stayed (at my insistence) to watch the daily Romeo and Juliet-inspired performance of the Glocenspiel (bell tower) at 3:00 p.m.
We have even taken advantage of the local film festival which has just started to see the City of Gold documentary about the US film critic Jonathan Gold. Pretty good overview of his work and the breadth of different ethnic dining opportunities in Los Angeles. Apparently, there is more to the town than the Kardashians. . . Prior to the movie, we ate at the Arborio restaurant which had been recommended to us. It was lovely and located inside the same building as the Puke Ariki museum and information center.
Peckish Travels 