Tailor Made Holidays in Western North Island, New Zealand: Introduction

Centred around one of the world’s most photogenic volcanic peaks, the Western North Island brings together wild, surf-beaten coastlines with gentle, rolling pasturelands, and exhilarating subterranean adventure with orderly, park-filled towns.

Supremely sacred to the Maori, the area has been only sparsely populated, leaving the surrounding scenery in all its pristine splendour. Here you will find plunge pools, waterfalls and endless hiking trails throughout the Egmont National Park. On the coast are the Three Sisters and Elephant Rock, huge pinnacles that rise from the beach, and further out to sea lie the Sugar Loaf Islands, a vital refuge for sea birds and fur seals. Surfers flock to the area from Auckland to take to the waves, but look closer and you’ll discover dark, narrow caves, reached only at low tide, that shelter ancient Maori rock carvings of symbolic images.

Amongst the small towns that dot the shoreline the principal settlement of New Plymouth represents life in a relaxed, content state. Most remarkable of all however, is the presiding mountain, Mount Taranaki. Now 120,000 years old, this volcano last erupted in 1775 and stands proud and isolated over its surroundings; its sheer size is breathtaking.

Selected Highlights

Our specialists have travelled the length and breadth of the country to research the best places to stay and things to do. Here they list a few of their favourite “unmissables”.

Explore glow worm caves

The underground spectacle of the glow worm caves is certainly a highlight of this region. Waitomo is a popular spot for a short trip into the caves,...  [more]

Learn about settler history along the Forgotten World Highway

Travelling deep into New Zealand’s settler heritage, the Forgotten World Highway is both scenically dramatic and historically significant. The road...  [more]

Mount Taranaki National Park

Few visitors venture as far as Mount Taranaki National Park, but the trip is worth the effort when you see the perfectly shaped mountain peak rise up...  [more]