Discover Taranaki’s Surf Highway 45 Keep a snowcapped Mt Taranaki on your left on a journey from New Plymouth to Hawera, and you can’t go wrong. Hopefully, the maunga’s perfect volcanic peak will be cloud-free as you negotiate Taranaki’s Surf Highway, taking time to detour down side roads to the skeletal remains of the SS Gairloch shipwreck just south of Ōakura, or the Cape Egmont Lighthouse at Pungarehu on Taranaki’s western-most point. Look forward to brisk westerlies and a winter Tasman swell rolling in all the way from Australia.
Don’t miss Two of regional New Zealand’s best galleries and museums, the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre in New Plymouth, and the Tawhiti Museum in Hāwera.
Winter wonderlands: Where to get the best scenery
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Taming the crowds: rethinking the tourism future of Milford Sound/Piopiotahi
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Scenic flights are normally full of overseas tourists; so airlines have slashed prices to get Kiwis interested.
The best way to see New Zealand is by air. Flying around the jagged peaks of the Southern Alps, or admiring the tropical blues of Abel Tasman National Park, are some of the most spectacular views on offer. Before Covid-19, these scenic flights were typically full of international tourists. Now, operators are offering significant discounts to attract Kiwis, with flights starting from $49 $279 Milford Sound scenic flight
Brook Sabin/Stuff
The flight to Milford passes over the Southern Alps. Queenstown operator Milford Sound Scenic Flights has heavily discounted several trips, including its self-described World s Best Scenic Flight.