Small Town New Zealand

In New Zealand the most striking near-desert experience you can have is on the road to Waiouru. State Highway One winds through a bleak windswept tussock plain called the Rangipo Desert. This is a unique alpine semi-desert, with the forbidding appearance of a wild desolate wasteland.

To experience the North Island’s ‘Alpine Country’ on the seismically sensitive Central Volcanic Plateau, there’s no better place to go than Turangi. Turangi has the pulse of this volcanic heartland, with New Zealand’s largest lake (Lake Taupo) on its front doorstep and the vast Tongariro National Park.

Lake Waikaremoana is a scenic gem in the heartland of the mystical Te Urewera National Park in the Central North Island. This ‘Sea of Rippling Waters’ nestles among rugged bush-clad mountains between Rotorua and Wairoa.

Where can you stand on an active volcano, swim with dolphins and catch a marlin, all in one place? Offshore from Whakatane, in the Bay of Plenty. It’s strange but true. The warm waters of the Bay are a rich natural resource.

The longest navigable river in New Zealand gave birth to Wanganui - a town that proudly proclaims itself ‘The River City’. For centuries this waterway was an important means of travel for both Maori and Europeans.

Discover the ‘Coast with the Most’ in sunny Tauranga, the fastest growing city in New Zealand. Captain Cook found abundant supplies here and named this coast the Bay of Plenty. Today there is indeed plenty to attract visitors.

The small market town of Taihape lies on the southern edge of the Central Volcanic Plateau and promotes itself as the ‘Gumboot Capital of New Zealand’. It takes a certain degree of boldness and fierce independence of spirit to claim such a title for your town.

Paihia began as a peaceful mission station on the gentle shores of the Bay of Islands. This is where the foundations of Maori and European life in New Zealand were laid. Today it is a town that expresses the lively holiday spirit of an increasing throng of international visitors and Kiwis.

Russell’s seaside setting and ‘Old World’ charm makes it a pleasure to stroll along the esplanade. Quaint colonial buildings line the beachfront and pohutukawa trees provide welcome shade as you gaze at the yachts gently rocking on their moorings.

Ohakune has been called the ‘après ski capital of the north’. This new image of a party town may be seen as an alternative to its traditional role as the ‘Carrot Capital’ of New Zealand. The town is strategically placed at the foot of Mountain Road leading directly to the Turoa Ski Resort on Mt. Ruapehu.

Where can you climb to the summit of a dormant volcano in the morning and surf a world-class break in the afternoon? New Plymouth. This prosperous and welcoming city sits at the foot of the sleeping giant of Mt. Taranaki (also called Mt. Egmont), the proud symbol of a diverse and exciting part of New Zealand.

Masterton is the commercial heart of the Wairarapa farming area, the archetypal ‘true blue’ Kiwi sheep country. Expansive plains and rolling grasslands curve away to the distant skyline where small, silhouetted forms stand motionless.