Pukeiti Gardens, just west of Mt Taranaki. Photo / Wanganui Chronicle
What: Taranaki has many delights to offer the mini-break visitor, from its wild black sand beaches to national park walks and music festivals. However, come spring, garden lovers far and wide abandon the new growth in their own backyards and head for Taranaki's famous Rhododendron and Garden Festival.
The festival, now in its 21st year, runs from October 31 to November 9. It includes 49 gardens dotted around Taranaki, 18 of which are official Gardens of Significance recognised by the New Zealand Gardens Trust. This year the festival also has a new category for vegetable gardens.
Other types of gardens that are open to the public include formal country gardens, coastal gardens and traditional Japanese gardens, among many others.
A highlight of this year's festival will be landscape gardener Xanthe White's West Coast-inspired installation, which will be in place on the New Plymouth foreshore for the duration of the festival. White's garden won a Silver Gilt Award at the 2006 Chelsea Garden Show in England.
For a full programme of festival events visit www.rhodo.co.nz
What else is there to do? Some of the most popular AA 101 Must-do for Kiwis attractions in Taranaki include:
Puke Ariki - a combined museum, library and information centre dedicated to exploring Taranaki's history.
New Plymouth Coast Walkway - a 7km walkway stretching almost the length of the city from the mouth of the Waiwhakaiho River to Ngamotu Beach.
New Plymouth Aquatic Centre - hydro-slide action for all the family.
Forgotten World Highway 43 - the drive between Stratford and Taumaranui is resembles a trip back in time. The road is filled with fascinating places to stop from bush walks and waterfalls to heritage buildings and historic sites.
Egmont National Park - home to the majestic Mt Taranaki and if you're quick, you can catch the last of the snow at Maunganui ski field. Otherwise the most popular activity within the Egmont National Park is walking and tramping the many spectacularly beautiful tracks that cover the spectrum of difficulty levels, varying in time from 15-minute strolls to full-on five-day around-the-mountain tramps.
