Pukekura Park is a large park very close to the centre of New Plymouth CBD. It’s convenient location makes it a central part of life in New Plymouth, such as the annual WOMAD music festival & the Festival of Lights.
Outside of these festivals Pukekura Park is a fantastic park to just walk around and take it all in. We visited the park soon after the gates opened (7:30 am in the summer months) and were blown away by the beauty of the park – and a bonus was having almost exclusively to ourselves. Another bonus is that dogs are welcome (on lead), so our dog enjoyed an early morning walk.
Pukekura Park is also home to the popular Tea House on the lake, which has been there since the 1930’s according to the friendly lady who made us our morning coffee. The Tea House opens at 9am, so I recommend a brisk morning walk exploring the parks tracks then rest by the lake with a coffee. On a clear day you can also see views of Mt Taranaki from the Tea House. Unfortunately it was overcast the morning we were there so could not take in another view of Taranaki.
Pukekura Park is a must see while in the New Plymouth region.
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