Taranaki
Best months:
May to September
LAST UPDATED 28/11/2008
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introduction

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Domie: Region of New Zealand, position on the map; 27 April 2005

Taranaki is a region in the west part of North Island in New Zealand, named for the region's main geographical feature, Mount Taranaki. This volcanic mountain is also known as Mount Egmont. For surfers however, this corner of the Earth is sometimes referred to as Taradise!

The entire region here is dominated by Mount Egmont, essentially one of the largest volcanic features on the Earth. The 180 degree of coastline protruding out into the Tasman Sea enjoys the same benefits of other geologically young volcanic islands such as Hawaii and the Mentawi's - excellent surf.

In Taranaki, powerful SW swells originating from the deep Pacific move northward off the coast of Australia and unload all six chambers onto the steep reefs and beaches here. The end result is super consistent, powerful surf from  March pretty much through to September. 

surfing

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NASA: Satellite view of Taranaki; 23.11.2003

An incredible area of enormous natural beauty and some of the best cold water surfing on the planet. The famous breaks are well known by surfers worldwide but some of the lesser known gems of this area of New Zealand are only now just creeping onto the radar screen of worldwide surf travellers. If uncrowded lineups and clasic coldwater points, reefs and breaks are your thing then find a travelling partner and get thee south young man - theres a lot to see.

Taranaki enjoys excellent exposure to the prevailing SW swells from the deep Pacific from March through to September. It is hard to think of how you could design a better surfing region. The spread of coastline from north through to south facing beaches mean that regardless of wind, chances are you are going to be able to find a break that is side shore at worst - howling offshore at best.

This part of New Zealand is not highly populated at all. Taranaki is around 8 hours south west of Auckland which pretty much rules out that larger centre as daily travellers. The only large centre is the beautiful town of New Plymouth with around 55,000 people.

Highway 45 rings the entire peninsula. We have named some of the better known spots to be found around here but it really is a matter of taking and road that runs towards the coast and finding a spot. The region holds a plethora of cold water reef and rivermouth bar breaks with ever morphing banks and sections to keep you challenged.

Surfing in this region from October through to March can be a little tricky. The predominant winds at this time in the South Pacific are from the NE and Taranaki has no swell window at all from this vector. Head up towards Coromandel or Northland (East Coast) around this time or even out to the Barrier Islands from Auckland for some splendid isolation.

Having said this, unseasonal East Coast lows from Australia can explode at any time and cross the Tasman around December. When this happens, the NE winds fan breaks like Greenmeadows to the south of Taranaki to awe inspiring effect.   

where to stay

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Ppe42: Picture of Mount Taranaki taken from Glanville Road, Stratford, Taranaki; 23 February 2006

Taranaki has rich pickings on the accommodation front due to it's beautiful scenery which makes this area a travellers 'must do'. The whole region is in the shadow of the dominant Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. It's a textbook triangle snow capped mountain, think Mount Fuji in Japan, located near to some great surf spots. It's one of the only places in the world where you can be snowboarding then half an hour later be surfing!!

Accommodation here starts at budget, yet pristine campsites and holiday parks and goes through to top end hotels for pricey luxury. An interesting and different idea would be to rent a one of the log cabin retreats available - great to share with the family - or just the two of you!

A lot of accomodation in New Plymouth as well as BandB style lodgings at the various towns in the area such as Manala and Stratford. The coastal village of Opunake is a must stay. Plenty of gems in the region for you to discover as well. 

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