• Bring your walking shoes, bicycle or roller-blades to experience New Plymouth's gorgeous 7 km Coastal Walkway. This walkway has won national architectural and creative spaces awards. Along the way you will pass four beaches, rivers, skating rink, the Aquatic Centre and the 45m kinetic wind wand designed by Len Lye which dances in the wind in a tribute to 'tangible motion'.

• Discover Pukekura Park. This 52ha central city park includes lakes, fountains, waterfalls and towering native trees. Throughout the summer months the annual TSB Festival of Lights attracts more than 100,000 people to enjoy the illuminated wonderland.

•  Spend some time at Puke Ariki. New Zealand's leading regional museum and the world's first purpose built fully-integrated museum, library and visitor information centre, complete with a Te Papa flavour. Arborio Cafe, set inside the museum, is one of our favourite places to eat.

• Take the kids (young and old) to the Todd Energy Aquatic Centre, featuring indoor and outdoor heated swimming pools for all ages, includes hydro slide, lane swimming, wave pool, spa and sauna room.

• Brooklands Zoo is a family focused zoo which is home to farmyard animals, an endangered red panda, otters, lemurs and both capuchin and cotton-top tamarin monkeys, as well as a selection of colourful birds and Parma wallabies inside a free-flight aviary.

Plus much much more...

• Soak in the mineral pools
• Visit the local winery and brewery
• Play golf at any one of Taranaki's 12 top golf courses