This is the last blog post about the recent trip we took to Whangarei for the CTANZ symposium, after which we toured the central North Island. This part starts at New Plymouth where we spent a couple of days.
New Plymouth/ Ngāmotu is a sizeable city of about 90,000 people. Home to Māori for centuries it was a natural trading post for explorers to the region in 1828 and in 1841/2 the Plymouth Company brought over 1868 immigrants from the UK, most of them from Devon and Cornwall, hence the English name of the city. It is a fascinating area with a colourful history.
Ngāmotu has boasts a beautiful botanical park of national significance: Pukekura, the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery and its associated space: the Len Lye Centre, a museum and library, great places to eat and shop, and views of the ocean and Taranaki Maunga/ Mount Taranaki from the centre of town. It also has a link to oil extraction and one of the exhibitions at the museum is of banners that were created for the opening of a new oil plant (images below). Swanndri, the iconic New Zealand brand of workwear originated in New Plymouth and a small exhibition in the museum shows some of the more unusual garments created by the company (images below).
New Plymouth is a vibrant and arty place and an enjoyable place to spend time.
After New Plymouth we headed inland to the Forgotten World Highway and King Country. The Highway stretches from Stratford to Taumarunui, and takes in spectacular scenery as well as lots of the history of this part of Aotearoa. Once this part of the North Island was seen as potential farmland and lucrative gold mining but the isolation and difficulties of keeping the through-routes open led to its declining population. Despite that there are still small settlements where pockets of people live, and farming – dairy and sheep – sustains some. Whangamomona is probably the best-known of these idiosyncratic villages. In 1989, as part of protests against local government reshuffling of boundaries, Whangamomona declared itself a republic, independent of New Zealand. It elected a president and now holds a “Republic Day” every two years.
At the other end of the road, after passing through some of the most remote and wild bush that we have experienced so far in Aotearoa, we stopped for the night at Taumarunui. This small town has plenty of history with many marae both in town itself and outside. It was fascinating to see how Māori art and craft is embedded in the culture of the town; even the local grocery shop has a carved entrance way – a waharoa – to welcome shoppers.
The morning of our departure for the volcanoes, and Blue Duck Station where we had dinner booked, was foggy and atmospheric but as we travelled the fog lifted and suddenly we were within sight of Ruapehu, the largest active volcano in the country. Nearby, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro, both active volcanoes make up the central trio of maunga (mountains). We stopped in to see The Grand Chateau/ Chateau Tongariro, an historic hotel that was once a must-see and is, after a few years of closure, planned to reopen.
The last part of the journey for the day was to Blue Duck Station. Situated in Whanganui National Park this station was so tough to farm that nowadays adventure tourism and experiences form the main part of the farm’s income. We arrived at the farmhouse/ cafe and met our fellow guests before heading out on a two hour ride up the valley in an All-terrain Vehicle. After many stops to look at the beautiful scenery, the river flowing far below us, we arrived at the Top of the World. Here a set of buildings – a restaurant seating ten and accommodation cabins – were our home for the night. We were here for a Special Meal at The Chef’s Table.
Dinner was a triumph. Ten courses of beautifully presented and perfectly cooked food, accompanied by wine and beer pairings, all the while watching the chefs prepare and plate each course, is a unique experience. Going to sleep after the four hour long meal and waking up to cloud-filled valleys below us before walking to breakfast with a view of volcanoes was the proverbial icing on the cake. What a truly magical and remarkable place with people who revere its atmosphere and love their work. Ten out of ten!
After leaving Blue Duck Station it was time to head home via Palmerston North. It had been a fantastic journey of exploration and discovery, another part of New Zealand that we now know a little better.
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