Welcome to New Plymouth!
New Plymouth is the biggest city (population 50,000) in the Taranaki region, located on the western coast of the North Island of New Zealand, about midway between Auckland and Wellington, but well to the west. It lies on the coastal plains just to the northwest of Mount Taranaki (Egmont).
New Plymouth (Māori: Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. The New Plymouth District, which includes New Plymouth City and several smaller towns, is the 10th largest district (out of 67) in New Zealand and has a population of 87,300, about two-thirds of the total population of the Taranaki Region and 1.7% of New Zealand's population. This includes New Plymouth City (58,400), Waitara (7,290), Inglewood (3,790), Ōakura (1,690), Ōkato (561), and Urenui (429). The city itself is a service center for the region's principal economic activities including intensive pastoral activities (mainly dairy farming) as well as oil, natural gas, and petrochemical exploration and production. It is also the region's financial center as the home of the TSB Bank (formerly the Taranaki Savings Bank), the largest of the remaining non-government New Zealand-owned banks.
Notable features are the botanic garden (i.e. Pukekura Park), the critically acclaimed Len Lye Centre and Art Gallery, the 13 km (8.1 mi) New Plymouth Coastal Walkway alongside the Tasman Sea, the Len Lye-designed 45-metre-tall (148 ft) artwork known as the Wind Wand, Paritutu Rock, and views of Mount Taranaki.
New Plymouth was awarded the most liveable city (for a population between 75,000-150,000) by the International Awards for Liveable Communities in 2021. It also won multiple awards in 2008. The city was 2010 chosen as one of two walking & cycling "Model Communities" by the government. Based on New Plymouth's already positive attitude towards cyclists and pedestrians, the city received $3.71m to invest in infrastructure and community programs to boost walking and cycling. It is also noted for being a coastal city with a mountain within 30 minutes drive, where residents and visitors to New Plymouth can snowboard, ski, water ski, and surf all on the same day.