South Taranaki is an area of spectacular scenery and numerous places of interest, offering a wide variety of activities.

Entertainment
South Taranaki has a wide variety of entertainment and recreation opportunities for all. There are cinemas in both Opunake and Hawera. Opunake’s cinema shows movies twice weekly and in Hawera, Cinema 2 has two modern theatres which screen the latest releases. There are hundreds of organisations which promote events and activities throughout the year, including the Egmont A&P Show, Rotorangi Gutbuster and the Opunake Lions Beach Carnival.

Walks
Lake Rotokare (the ‘rippling lake’) east of Eltham is part of a peaceful and undisturbed bush reserve. A 4.2 kilometre walk begins at the picnic area and emerges on Sangster Road a few hundred metres from the starting point. There is a variety of bird life and vegetation around the lake and seats are also available at pleasant viewing points along the way.
The Opunake Walkway is another pleasant walkway in the South Taranaki area encompassing the Opunake lake, two historic cemeteries and a walk across the beach to Te Namu Pa. There are some lovely coastal and mountain views on this walk.
Patea River Walkway (York Street Walkway) leads from the Patea Beach and follows the river up to York Street with several interesting historical sites along the way. The walk can be started at either end and if you finish at the beach you can enjoy a meal using one of the free electronic barbecues in the picnic area.
The Rotorangi Hydro Walk is a 1.5 kilometre circuit and is a well formed elevated path suitable for the average family that takes you across the dam and through a forest of lowland beech trees at Lake Rotorangi. There are spectacular views of the lake which is the longest man made lake in New Zealand.
Nowell’s Lake Walkway, Rifle Range Road Hawera. This short yet pleasant walk (approximately 20 minutes) leads you to the lake through farmland that has been planted in native trees by local school children. Another walk leads you towards the coast. The walks are signposted and have seats dotted along the way for those needing a break.

Other Attractions
South Taranaki’s natural features attract locals and visitors alike. This can be attributed to the widely varying landscapes found within a relatively small area, the easy access and the unspoiled beauty of the scenery.
Mt Taranaki is considered the most accessible of New Zealand’s mountains and is therefore one of the most climbed. Opportunities for walking, tramping, climbing, skiing, or enjoying the outstanding scenery abound throughout the Egmont National Park which encircles the mountain.
The internationally acclaimed Tawhiti Museum celebrates early life in South Taranaki, from the New Zealand land wars to the establishment of the dairy industry using ‘living displays’ to provide social perspective as well as a technological history. A unique display ‘Trader and Whalers’ challenges guests with a stunningly creative and hauntingly real experience of the Taranaki coast in the 1820-1840 period.
Aotea Utanganui – Museum of South Taranaki in Patea has a brand new building. Opened in early
2011, the museum’s new exhibitions reflects South Taranaki history and stories through a series of specially designed units. The distinctive carvings and tukutuku panels created for the old museum building have be restored and will be installed in pride of place.
For something a little different, the KD’s Elvis Presley Museum in Hawera has a collection of Elvis memorabilia which is widely regarded as one of the most extensive in Australasia.
Surf Highway 45, the coast road from New Plymouth though to Hawera, will lead you to dozens of world-class surf breaks. The drive offers much more than epic surf and empty beaches, with a wide variety of artist studios, historical sites, spectacular
scenery and cosy cafés for all to enjoy and explore. Stop off for a swim at Opunake Beach which is patrolled by lifeguards during the summer months or check out the display of scale models explaining the processes involved at the offshore and onshore plants of the Maui Offshore Oil Platform. The historic Cape Egmont Lighthouse stands proud on the western most point of the Taranaki coastline.
Ashley Park just south of Waitotara has a range of animals, a lake surrounded by gardens, an antique shop, tearooms and a variety of accommodation, an ideal rest stop on the journey south.

ELTHAM
The town of Eltham was named after a town in Kent, England and was first settled in the 1870’s. Eltham is known for its industrial ‘firsts’ and claims the first New Zealand street to be tarsealed, the first concrete floored cowshed, first use of concrete power poles and the invention of the turnstile cowshed.
The Eltham Toy Wall represents the lifetime work of the late Fay Young. Many years ago some children left toys behind in adjacent Bridger Park and unable to find the owners, she left the toys on her garden wall. Over the years people began leaving toys for her, and her family helped her to cement them into her wall. There are now thousands of toys in the wall to be enjoyed by both young and old.

HAWERA
Hawera means ‘the burnt place’ or ‘breath of fire’ and takes its name from the old Maori village to Te Hawera, much of which was destroyed by fire. Later fires in 1884, 1888 and 1912 razed parts of the town’s business area and in response to demands from insurance companies the water tower was completed in 1914 to provide a ready supply of water for fire fighting purposes.
The tower has a colourful history. Later in the month of its completion an earthquake caused it to list 2.5 feet towards the south. To correct this, the tower was anchored with weights as the tanks were filled, thus reducing the list to about three inches.
In 2004, major remedial work was completed on the tower to allow it to be reopened to the public, having been closed for four years.
The town has a population of approximately 11,000 and is the largest of the towns in South Taranaki. Hawera has two picturesque parks, excellent sporting and function facilities with the TSB Hub, heated indoor and outdoor pool, hydroslide and toddlers pools and a Cinema 2.

KAPONGA
The small community of Kaponga, at the base of Mt Taranaki was settled in 1882 and is often referred to as the Swiss centre of New Zealand because of the strong Swiss influence in the area. People of Swiss descent have come to Kaponga since the turn of the century and in 1952 the Taranaki Swiss Club was formed and is still going strong to this day.
To the east of Kaponga is the Kapuni natural gas plant and the ammonia urea plant, the latter the only one of its kind in New Zealand. North of Kaponga is the southern entrance of the Egmont National Park.

MANAIA
The small coastal town of Manaia, named after the respected Chief Manaia Hukunui, was settled in the 1880’s. The whare, Parukau, at the Waiokura Marae was built in his memory.
Manaia is a busy rural town and is home to Yarrows (The Bakers) Ltd. It is one of the last and largest remaining independently owned bakeries in New Zealand and was established in 1923. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, supplying an extensive range of breads, speciality breads, rolls, croissants, gourmet cookies and other quality bakery products to leading supermarkets, retailers and food companies throughout New Zealand and around the globe.
Just west of Manaia is the Pacific Natural Gut Company Ltd, New Zealand’s only producer of natural gut racquet strings.
Manaia has two significant landmarks, the band rotunda in the centre of town which is a unique war memorial and the historic blockhouses of the redoubt.

OPUNAKE
Opunake, further north along the coast from Manaia, was also settled in the 1880’s. Although there was never a Maori settlement at Opunake, the bay itself was used as a landing place. In 1891 a jetty was constructed on the north headland of Opunake Beach but plans to develop Opunake as the main port of Taranaki never came to fruition. The remains of the jetty can still be seen today.
Opunake has a population of approximately 1300 but is boosted considerably during the summer months by holidaymakers. Opunake Beach is arguably one of the best beaches in Taranaki and is a popular tourist spot.

PATEA
Situated on the banks of the Patea River, it was the chief town, port and industrial centre of South Taranaki in the 1880’s. The replica of the Aotea canoe in Patea’s main street commemorates the settlement of Taranaki by Turi and his hapu, who travelled from Hawaiiki to Kawhia and then overland to Patea.
The original European settlement centred on the river mouth and was a base for colonial troops during the New Zealand land wars in the 1860’s.
Patea is home to the Patea Maori Club and Aotea Utanganui – Museum of South Taranaki. The beach and river offer a boat ramp, good surfing, lookouts and walkways.

WAITOTARA
Waitotara is found at the southern end of South Taranaki, flanked by coastline on one side and valleys on the other. Its location makes it a popular place for whitebaiting, fishing and hunting.

WAVERLEY
Well known as the home of the late, great, Melbourne Cup winner, Kiwi, Waverley is a service town with good recreational facilities. Lupton’s Lake offers an ideal water skiing venue and just five minutes from town is Waverley Beach, renowned for its interesting rock stacks and caves.