With the holidays approaching fast have you thought about venturing out and about in New Plymouth?
BackBeach is beautiful to wander along especially when the tide is out. The surfers are out in force when the wind is right; also the hang gliders, and more commonly, para gliders float around on the thermal air coming off the high cliffs.
Paritutu Rock is also an unusual place to clamber about. It is a portion of the outer rim of an extinct volcano. The steep track up is graded hard. Make sure to allow heaps of time for the rest at the top as there are amazing views in all directions -most certainly not for the faint hearted.
Another lovely beach with a great playground is NgamotuBeach. There are public toilets and barbecue facilities available. You will also find the beam pump, which marks the site of Moturoa No. 4 oilwell, drilled to a depth of 666 metres in 1931 and closed in 1972. The beam pump was erected by Shell BP and Todd Oil Services as a memorial to the pioneers of oil exploration in New Zealand.
Kawaroa Park is well known for its rock pools. Make sure to have sturdy footwear. Young and old have fun exploring the rockpools, seeing creatures up close and then putting them back into their homes.