Taranaki & Whanganui - New Zealand's North Island - page 435

Sights

In Town

Puke Ariki
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MUSEUM

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( www.pukeariki.com ; 1 Ariki St; 9am-6pm Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri, to 9pm Wed, to 5pm Sat & Sun)
Translating as 'Hill of Chiefs', Puke Ariki is home to the i-SITE ( Click here ) , a museum,
a library, a cafe and the fabulous Arborio ( Click here ) restaurant. The excellent museum
has an extensive collection of Maori artefacts, plus colonial, mountain geology and wild-
life exhibits (we hope the shark suspended above the lobby isn't life-size).

Pukekura Park
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GARDENS

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( www.pukekura.org.nz ; Liardet St; 7.30am-6pm, to 8pm Nov-Mar) The pick of New Plymouth's parks,
Pukekura has 49 hectares of gardens, playgrounds, trails, streams, waterfalls, ponds and
display houses. Rowboats ($10 per half-hour, December and January only) meander across
the main lake (full of arm-sized eels), next to which the Tea House MAP GOOGLE MAP (Liardet
St; snacks $4-9, mains $10-12; 9am-4pm Mar-Nov, 9am-late Dec-Feb) serves light meals (and fudge!).
The technicoloured Festival of Lights ( Click here ) here draws the summer crowds, as does
the classically English cricket oval .

Govett-Brewster Art Gallery
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GALLERY

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( 06-759 6060; www.govettbrewster.com ; 42 Queen St; 10am-5pm) Arguably the country's
best regional art gallery. Presenting contemporary - often experimental - local and inter-
national shows, it's most famous for its connection with famous NZ sculptor, filmmaker
and artist Len Lye (1901−80). There's a cool cafe here too. It was closed temporarily for
earthquake proofing when we visited: call or check the website for updates.

Puke Ariki Landing
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SCULPTURE PARK

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