An Art and Food Lover's Guide to Taranaki

New Plymouth’s best sourdough bakery, Billow Bakery, is run out of an old shipping container. Pop in for a cup of coffee and just-out-of-the-oven morning bun, before heading next door to The Jewel and The Jeweller. In what doubles as a jewellery gallery and studio space (also in an old shipping container) you’ll discover the work of some of the best jewellers in Aotearoa. 

The walls of The Nice Hotel, run by local arts patron Terry Parkes, are adorned with Terry’s extensive collection of art that’s been built up over many years. After admiring Terry’s collection, make your way to the large balcony off the back of the hotel’s restaurant, Table @ Nice, for a glass of wine and platter in one of the city’s best-hidden spots. 

The Len Lye Centre is hard to miss with its distinctive stainless steel facade. Just as impressive is the collection of kinetic sculpture works by world-renowned Len Lye that you’ll find inside. When you’ve learnt about the impressive engineering and creative processes involved in the creation of Lye’s works, head down the corridor to Monica’s Eatery for a plate of some of the best eggs in town.

The Len Lye Centre at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery is home to New Plymouth’s only arthouse cinema, a beautiful space with plush red seats that regularly features international and New Zealand films. Expect up-to-date cinema content, as well as regular screenings of cults and classics. Afterwards, walk across the road to the White Hart Precinct’s Itch Wine Bar for a glass of wine and plate of charcuterie.

New Plymouth’s museum and library, Puke Ariki, is the place to visit to learn more about the city’s and region’s history and rich cultural scene. Once you’ve taken in the impressive taonga, or one of the regular exhibitions of works by New Plymouth and Taranaki artists, head down to Arborio Restaurant for a burger, a beer and spectacular views of the ocean.

Pop into Bleached Coffee and Company for a cup of coffee and a breakfast burger made by local favourite Gamma Ray’s, before popping round the corner to Kina NZ Design and Art Space. Here you’ll find the work and wares of artists from across Aotearoa, including jewellery, ceramics, design products and ever-changing exhibitions of work by local artists.

In a lovingly restored historic building in the back streets of Stratford is the Fenton Street Arts Collective, a place for local artists to show their work. But this isn’t any old community art gallery. While you’re there grab a coffee (the beans are roasted on-site), something to eat from the café and sample some of the gin that’s made at the onsite distillery. 

The small seaside settlement of Ōakura, about a 20-minute drive from the centre of New Plymouth, is home to Hall of Design, a graphic design studio and gallery that operates out of a converted shipping container. After checking out the works of emerging and established Aotearoa artists, pop into Toret Cucina Italiana for a long weekend lunch of pizza and pasta. 

Nigel Ogle’s Tawhiti Museum might just be one of the best privately owned museums in the country. Its impressive life-size exhibits and scale models, all made on site, tell immersive stories about the history of Aotearoa. Pop to nearby Someday Café in Hāwera afterwards, for a coffee and pastry made by local guy Andrew Blanche, of Baked by Blanche.

Around the streets of New Plymouth’s CBD you’ll find buildings featuring works by local artist Damin Radford Scott, known as Milarky. Find Milarky’s work featuring a giant astronaut on the facade of Escape Coffee Roasters, a great spot for a caffeine hit, and then head to his recently opened gallery space Resident Gallery, an artist-run space where the hours are (self-confessed) “not the most reliable, and often nocturnal”. Here, the works on the walls change often.