Category: Cycling

Ngāmotu/New Plymouth …

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… is a small city on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island, named after a Māori chief who signed the Treaty of Waitangi and renamed by the first English settlers who came from Plymouth.

On a recent visit, we stayed at the aptly named Kings & Queens Hotel Suites across the road from the spectacular Govett-Brewster art gallery.

One of my requirements when choosing accommodation is a bathtub because we only have a shower at home. After a day of exploring, relaxing in a bath is the ultimate luxury, which is exactly what I did after our bicycle ride along the coastal cycle/walkway. The hotel has four mountain bikes for use by guests (and there are e-bikes for hire too). The cycleway is mostly flat with small inclines easily negotiated by an inexperienced cyclist like me.

We cycled from the city near the famed Len Lye wind wand to the Te Henui Bridge and beyond. On our return we stopped for a cold drink and a bite of lunch at the container cafe at Fitzroy beach.
The Festival of Lights runs from just before Christmas until the last weekend in January in Pukekura Park. The park is illuminated by various spectacular light installations and is well worth viewing.

In the Kings & Queens precinct there are eight places to eat and drink. We enjoyed a pizza from Ms White’s Pizza with drinks from the adjacent Itch Wine Bar.

I can highly recommend the Petit Paris cafe for a cafe au lait and croissant or Billow Bakery, down a funky laneway, for a breakfast bun and a latte.

There was not much time for shopping this visit but there is a splendid Poppies bookshop, which has couches for relaxed browsing, and the Kina Design & Arts Space for unusual, locally made art works ranging from paintings to glassware to jewellery.

On our way back we detoured to Egmont National Park and drove all the way up to Manganui carpark. From up there, the view of Mount Taranaki is awe-inspiring and there are several tracks, including one that takes you right around the mountain.

We chose to walk the Kamahi Loop Track as our time was limited. Nicknamed the ‘goblin forest’ because the kamahi trees are covered in ferns and mosses, it was a delight on a sunny day with dappled shadows and sparkling creeks.

We had a delicious lunch at the Stratford Mountain House restaurant and then made our way home, stopping at the Pio Pio Berry Farm to load up on raspberries, blueberries and strawberries.