New Zealand Guide
Western North Island
Much of the Western North Island is ignored by visitors, who make a beeline for the wonders of Waitomo Caves and the graceful Mount Taranaki. In fact, there's much of interest in the area, which is best explored at a leisurely pace. Much of the region's appeal is tied to its extraordinary history of pre-European settlement and post-European conflict. The region is deeply rooted in Maori legend and history, for it was on the west coast, at Kawhia, that the Tainui people first landed in New Zealand; the Tainui canoe in which they arrived is buried there, and the waterside tree it was moored to lives on. Kawhia was also the birthplace of Te Rauparaha, the great Maori chief who led his people from here down the coast to Kapiti Island and on to the South Island, to escape the better-armed tribes of the Waikato.
Approaching the region from the north, you arrive in the Waikato, important farming country centred on the workaday provincial capital, Hamilton. There are few attractions here amid fields of cows and sheep, so head to the coast and Raglan, a laid-back town with world-class surf and a great selection of places to stay and eat.
South of the Waikato is the King Country, which took its name from the King Movement, and was the last significant area in New Zealand to succumb to European colonization. Today it contains a number of stalwart communities coexisting with some extraordinary natural features – most famously the creamy limestone of Waitomo Caves, where unusual rock formations surmount a netherworld of glow-worm-filled caverns. Further down the coast, the giant thumbprint peninsula of Taranaki is dominated by the symmetrical cone of Mount Taranaki, within the Egmont National Park. At its foot, New Plymouth warrants a visit for its excellent contemporary art gallery and access to a multitude of surf beaches.
Highlights
1 Raglan Sociable harbourside town within easy reach of some of New Zealand's finest surf.
2 Waitomo Abseil, squeeze or blackwater raft into labyrinthine caves, illuminated by glow-worms.
3 Egmont National Park Easy walks and steep hikes to the conical summit of the North Island's second highest peak.
4 Whanganui River Take a three-day canoe trip through the green canyons of New Zealand's longest navigable river.
5 Kapiti Island Spend the day marvelling at the abundance of rare native birds in this island sanctuary, or stay overnight to go kiwi spotting.