On December 31, 1999, when the world was in a frenzy to welcome the new millennium, the quaint little town of Taranaki celebrated by installing the Wind Wand, a 48-metre kinetic sculpture, a conceptual design of the local legend Len Lye.
This iconic structure on the foreshore, has since come to symbolise the district of New Plymouth’s tryst with arts and all that’s abstract and aesthetic. Taranaki’s alpine allure and historical charm make a trip to this western tip of New Zealand’s north island, a package of unpredictable tourist attractions.
An hour’s flight from Auckland brings you to New Plymouth, and in the next half hour you are in the heart of a region that’s still undiscovered. It feels right to begin one’s tour from Puke Ariki Museum and Library, to gain an insight into Taranaki’s past. With a comprehensive study tracing European and Maori history, depicted through the various exhibits, which include photographs, documents, maps and other relics, the cultural centrepiece of the town is a striking building by Team Architects.
Outside, you are struck by the imposing Wind Wand, bent at a majestic angle. Is it the Wind Wand’s wave? The closer you walk, the more you bend your head backward to catch a glimpse of this long red fibreglass tube. You marvel and connect with its motion and kinetic energy. Just like its designer Len Lye did, perhaps.
Walk into history
When you are in New Plymouth, you are alongside history. Walking down the streets with a local guide, you stand and stare at a structure which boasts ‘Since 1870’. It could have been built last month. Mike Nightingale, who volunteers to guide tourists through the central city area, relates events, developments and anecdotes from the settlers’ arrival in New Plymouth in 1841, to the time a community was established some 50 years later. A retired child psychologist, Nightingale’s knowledge and passion for New Zealand history is exemplary. He’s been a volunteer at Puke Ariki since its opening in 2003.
Soaking in the information about a tree here and a cemetery there, of heroic and sometimes infamous tales of local legends, we walk on. Now and then, turning our heads to catch a glimpse of the ubiquitous Wind Wand in the sky.
Art in the heart of the city
Len Lye Centre has an exterior that’s befitting the maverick artist it was named after. With its curved panels of mirror-like stainless steel, the structure is a new addition to the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery. The Len Lye Centre is New Zealand’s first institution dedicated to a single artist, the pioneering filmmaker and kinetic sculptor, Len Lye, who had donated all his works to the district of New Plymouth before he died in 1980.
The Len Lye Centre is a world centre for the care, exhibition, research and development of the art and ideas of Lye, and a dedicated space providing permanent access to Lye’s works.
In the arms of Nature
When your heart desires the sight and feel of rugged mountains, you are spoilt for choice in New Zealand. The 335-square-kilometre Egmont National Park is ideal for trekkers and cyclists.
A walk through the thick forest and roaring waterfalls leads you to the first glimpse of the iconic Taranaki mountain (also called Mount Egmont). Despite travel brochures, you are still unprepared for its stunning symmetry. Lonely Planet described it as ‘picture perfect’. “Yes, it resembles Mt Fuji,” our guide Jeremy Becker voices our thoughts. The National Park has walking paths that branch off in numerous directions. Trekking along the path leading to the popular Dawson Falls, one could feel the massiveness of the park and yet be comforted by its cosy intimacy. The roar of the falls can be heard long before you reach.
Hiking trails
An advanced track suitable for trained hikers, the Pouakai Circuit perhaps will satiate the spirit of adventure. This summit track through the lowland forest and vegetation is considered one of the best trekking paths in New Zealand.
Travelling back into town, your attention is drawn towards the star-sprinkled sky. With zero light and air pollution, the sky looks stunning.
The mountains, the galleries, the museum, the streets, the breweries and the eateries — Taranaki captures your soul in full. What is it that you take away from here? A deep desire to come back, of course!
Among the best: Travel guide publisher Lonely Planet has adjudged Taranaki the second-best region in the world to visit in its Best in Travel 2017 yearbook. This is the highest-ever ranking for a New Zealand destination in Lonely Planet’s annual Best in Travel publication, and singles out Mount Taranaki’s Pouakai Crossing one-day walk and the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery and Len Lye Centre as unmissable experiences.
Fountain force: To mark the 40th anniversary of ‘Kinetic Works’, Len Lye’s first major solo exhibition in New Zealand, the Len Lye Centre is presenting ‘Fountain III’ between March and July. Commissioned by the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, Fountain III, described by engineer John Matthews as ‘a gentle peaceful work with a lovely tinkling sound’, is shown here again after 40 years.
Tree of faith: Walking past St Mary’s church, one of the New Zealand’s oldest stone churches, one can find the Glastonbury thorn, which was planted in 1860, supposedly from a cutting from the legendary Glastonbury thorn in Glastonbury Abbey, Somerset. Legend has it that Jesus’ great uncle, Joseph of Arimathea, visited Glastonbury and thrust his staff into Wearyall Hill, just below the Tor, planting a seed for the original thorn tree. The tree was felled during the English Civil War, but the locals successfully salvaged the roots and replanted.
On a coffee trail: A visit to a coffee roastery in your travel plan might sound preposterous, but Ozone Coffee Roasters in Taranaki is the ultimate destination for coffee connoisseurs. Surprisingly, it’s not the aroma, but the appearance of the place that draws you in. You pass by the swanky coffee shop into the roasting section behind, where Ozone’s Paul Newbold takes you on a quick tour of the place. Among the many sacks of beans that have come from Africa, Brazil and other countries, you spot one from Coorg as well. Paul Newbold shares that the store showcases blends and single-origin coffees through a variety of brewing methods. At the coffee shop, the friendly barista, while sharing his info and knowledge on various blends, proudly shows off his extensive range of brewing equipment, brewing accessories and other merchandise. His colleague, meanwhile, draws a beautiful swan on your latte.
The writer was in New Zealand on invitation from Tourism New Zealand
