Travel authority Lonely Planet puts Taranaki and Stewart Island among its 100 ‘offbeat’ places to visit

Taranaki tourism is hoping a new recommendation by one of the world’s leading travel guides will bring about a boom in visitor numbers.

Lonely Planet, which five years ago described Taranaki as the second-best region in the world, has now called it one of the 100 most “offbeat” destinations to see in 2023.

Taranaki joins Rakiura/Stewart Island as the only New Zealand entries in the book, Offbeat, which highlights alternative travel experiences where tourists are few and far between, and where visitors can find something challenging, fresh and off the beaten track.

Stewart Island is billed as a great place to get away from the crowds owing to its population of just 400, while other recommendations are a secret mountainous kingdom in Africa, an underwater museum in Australia, and a medieval fairytale town in Europe.

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Brylee Flutey, of regional economic development agency Venture Taranaki, said the hardcover guide presented a great opportunity and had come at the perfect time.

“We are well-placed to capitalise on and respond to over-tourism and some of the associated draws this can have on a community,” she said.

“We know that Covid has impacted the way people travel as well as the types of destinations they want to visit – it’s all about fewer crowds, wide-open spaces and the great outdoors, and unique hyper-localised experiences and activities.”

Offbeat compares Taranaki’s SH45, which traces a coast-hugging circle around Taranaki Maunga from Hāwera to New Plymouth, to California’s Highway 1, and calls the Pouakai Crossing a rival to the Tongariro.

The Womad festival, held in Pukekura Park and featuring performers from around the globe, is also highlighted.

Womad is staged by the Taranaki Arts Festival Trust (Taft), and Rebecca Johnson, Marketing and Communications Manager, said the region was now getting the international recognition it deserved.

Over the years the trust has brought thousands of performers to Taranaki.

“What we’re always really incredibly proud of is that they leave in awe of what we have to offer for such a small province, from our environment, to the coastline to the mountain, from our hospitality to food cultivation and of course our thriving art community which includes all of our festivals.”

Johnson said one of the biggest promotions for Taft events, which include the Centuria Taranaki Garden Festival and the Taranaki Arts Festival, was word of mouth.

“It’s not just one thing that hooks them in. Everything draws people back, and they go and tell their friends that Taranaki is a destination that you really do need to see.”

Taranaki’s recognition was no surprise for New Plymouth Mayor Neil Holdom, who said visitors often found the region “way beyond” what they had expected.

“When I think about the things that people tell me they enjoy there’s the amazing coastal walkway and then Taranaki Maunga, with the national park and Pukeiti and its visitor centre.

“On one of the many surfing beaches you can catch some of the best waves in the world, and then in the evening you’ve got some of the best food and beverage offerings anywhere in the country.”

Holdom said one of the turning points was the filming of The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise, 20 years ago.

“I think having those visitors and the movie crew here, and the international attention that followed, we kind of really grew up as a region and started saying, ‘Actually, this place really is awesome.’

“On the back of that we had Puke Ariki and the Coastal Walkway, and then our hospitality sector and retail offerings just bumped up as well and all of a sudden we went from a quiet provincial town to a small city with a real pride and sense of identity.”

The term offbeat originates from the jazz world, and Gaye Atkinson, of the Taranaki Jazz Club, said she thought it was appropriate.

She moved to the region for a job and then met her husband.

“I just think it’s the most beautiful place. I always wanted to go back to Wellington until I came to Taranaki.

“I think we’ve just got the best of everything, and I’m a potter and an artist and I play in a band and so culturally, it suits me, it’s just steeped in culture.”

While Rakiura locals aren’t sure about the “offbeat” moniker, they believe their slice of paradise is indeed off the beaten path.

As Beaks and Feathers owner Angela Steffens said, Stewart Island wasn’t one of those places where visitors could just pop in on their way somewhere else.

“They have to want to get here.

“It’s laid back. It’s easy. It’s how it used to be.”

Kaka Retreat owner Roel Jaeger said he hadn’t got his head around what “offbeat” meant exactly, but thought Stewart Island was definitely a special place.

Observation Rock Lodge owner Annett Eiselt thought its location as New Zealand’s third island had something to do with that.

“You have to leave something behind to [come and] explore something new.”

Sales Ashore owner Peter Tait said he walked away from a very good “job for life” with the public service to stay on Rakiura and had never regretted it.

Besides the mystique around islands and Rakiura’s place at the edge of the Southern Ocean, the small population of just 400 was also unique, he said.

“There are streets in Invercargill with more people living there. Our local copper doesn’t have to stress about drive-by shootings or ram raids.”