Developed in the 1980s, Puke Akiri Landing connects the city centre with the foreshore. The grassy area in front of Puke Ariki features a large, carved wooden sculpture and is the perfect spot to rest your feet or eat lunch on a sunny day. Look to the ocean for the kooky Wind Wand sculpture.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Puke Ariki

0.02 MILES

Translating as ‘Hill of Chiefs’, Puke Ariki was once a pā (fortified village) site, and is now home to the i-SITE, a fab regional museum, a library, a…

2. Wind Wand

0.06 MILES

The wonderfully eccentric Wind Wand at Puke Ariki Landing was designed by Len Lye – the artist who has put this town on the map in modern times. This 45m…

3. War Memorial

0.17 MILES

An appropriately austere stone New Plymouth landmark that presides over the Coastal Walkway and a public playground.

5. Clock Tower

0.19 MILES

If you lose your bearings in downtown New Plymouth (or just want to know the time), look for the kooky, stripy clock tower, which is often luridly lit at…

6. Taranaki Cathedral Church of St Mary

0.25 MILES

The austere Church of St Mary (1846) is NZ's oldest stone church and its newest cathedral! Its graveyard has the headstones of early settlers and soldiers…

7. Kibby Carillon

0.36 MILES

On top of Marsland Hill is the cacophonous 37-bell Kibby Carillon, a huge automated glockenspiel-like device that tolls out across the New Plymouth…

8. New Plymouth Observatory

0.39 MILES

Atop Marsland Hill (great views!) is this wee observatory, with one of the most powerful public-access telescopes in NZ.