Taranaki

The Department of Conservation has started construction of new boardwalks across the Pouakai Tarns and the Ahukawakawa wetland as part of its Taranaki Crossing project.

The rest of NZ shifts to level 2 after three Auckland cases, two of whom recently visited Taranaki attractions.

The annual WOMAD music festival at New Plymouth has been cancelled for the first time in its 16 years due to Covid-19 concerns.

The Stratford Information Centre i-SITE has moved to the Stratford Library in Prospero Place.

The Department of Conservation is reminding people to take care around marine mammals coming to shore this summer after the arrival of a leopard seal on a Taranaki beach.

Taranaki arts event RESET 2020 – A Festival for Aotearoa kicked off last week with three opening night performances across the region.

New Plymouth District Council has voted to ban freedom camping completely at Corbett Park in Ōākura and at two areas at Tongaporutu.

Venture Taranaki has launched its new ‘Taranaki – Just around the corner’ domestic tourism campaign.

From 2 November Mount Taranaki’s Pouakai Hut will move to online booking via the Department of Conservation’s website.

The Government and those responsible for looking after New Zealand’s tourism future need to listen more to those with domestic tourism expertise, says Justine Gilliland.

New Plymouth District Council is seeking feedback on the possibility of a marina as part of how $2bn of public funds will be invested in its next 10-year plan.

Venture Taranaki is seeking proposals for developing the region as a food tourism destination, as well as any potential product offerings that may be involved within the project.

Gilliland said the approach resulted in “pathetically small” support for already-strong domestic tourism-centric regions.

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Mutunga has gained a $48,144 grant for a range of work in the Taramoukou Conservation Area in the northern Taranaki.    

Tūpare Gardens and the Dawson Hotel in Taranaki visitor sites have been named 2020 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award winners.

Venture Taranaki has published its Transition Pathway Action Plan as part of the Taranaki 2050 Roadmap, covering tourism, regulation, metrics and evaluation.

Former Taranaki Regional Council chair David Walter has passed away after a battle with Leukaemia. He was 80 years old.

The Synthony orchestral show will play its first-ever outdoor show TSB Bowl of Brooklands in New Plymouth next January. 

Venture Taranaki’s CEO says the region is seeing above-average visitor spend but the lack of business travel is having a severe impact.

The Taranaki settlement is getting a new visitor centre to house taonga and an exhibition of the Parihaka story.

The first section of the Mangorei Track, part of the Taranaki Crossing Project, has been completed.

The Government’s $20.2m cash injection for New Zealand’s regional tourism organisations will play a pivotal role in the sector’s rebuild.

Multi-year upgrades at Pukeiti Gardens have resumed because of the importance to Taranaki’s post-Covid-19 recovery, says Taranaki Regional Council chair David MacLeod.

Taranaki’s strong domestic tourism market is expected to contribute to the region’s economic recovery, according to new research which forecasts an 8.5% contraction in regional GDP for the year to March 2021 – slightly worse than the 8% drop forecast nationwide.

However, the association has rebooked the same venue, The Devon Hotel at New Plymouth, to hold the 2021 event.

Roads into Egmont National Park will be closed following an order by Civil Defence in a bid to combat Covid-19.

The first stage of the Taranaki Crossing development in Egmont National Park has begun.

A further $13.4m will be spent on improving State Highway 43 the Forgotten World Highway.

The government will inject $9.6m into the Forgotten World Highway (State Highway 43) to seal the remaining 12km unsealed stretch of road through the Tangarakau Gorge.

More than 6600 bed nights have been snapped up on the newest Great Walk – 91% of them by New Zealanders.

New research by the Department of Conservation and the University of Auckland has confirmed that Hector’s or Māui dolphins are often present in the Taranaki region.

Tourism NZ chair Jamie Tuuta has been appointed as chair of the board for Venture Taranaki Trust.

Once complete in 2022, the $19m project is expected to inject an extra $3.7m into the local economy, says the govt.

The Tourism Export Council of New Zealand’s annual conference will be held in New Plymouth next year.

The State Hotel at New Plymouth is part of a large hospitality hub that is up for sale. 

A joint venture between three Taranaki iwi has bought the Novotel New Plymouth Hobson Hotel for $23m.

New Plymouth’s mountain bike trails at Lake Mangamahoe are set to be extended by 10km with work on a pavilion also progressing.

Peter Crawford of Fitzroy Beach Holiday Park has been awarded the 2018 Holiday Parks ePay Emerging Star Award.

New Plymouth mayor Neil Holdom has called for a levy on inward flights to NZ to help pay for freedom camping facilities in the region.

A major new Taranaki tourism initiative is set to get off the ground following the latest deployment from the government’s $1bn Provincial Growth Fund.

Public consultation is starting on two exciting, new projects embracing Taranaki’s tourism and environmental opportunities.

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels has bought New Plymouth’s The Waterfront Hotel.

A survey on the New Plymouth District Council-run TSB Festival of Lights has highlighted the significant contribution the summer spectacular is making to the region’s economy.

New Plymouth’s Len Lye Centre has pumped $7.4m into the district and brought more than 17,000 visitors to the region in 2016, according to a new report.

The vision of Tapuae Roa comprises three key things: attractive lifestyle, talented people and a modern high-value economy.

Whoever wins power in the September 23 general elections needs to focus on eight key issues of importance to Taranaki.

A $3.4 million investment into the Taranaki Crossing is part of the Government’s plan to boost growth in Taranaki.

The Government and New Plymouth District Council have agreed in principle to transfer New Plymouth Airport to local government ownership.

The issue of whether residential ratepayers who rent out their homes for profit should pay rates in line with their commercial counterparts is not a new one.