Taranaki - peninsula with volcanic mountain

Passing through the insignificant supply town of Stratford, we arrived at the roundish peninsula of Taranaki, with the eponymous volcanic mountain at its center. This shapely mountain is visible from afar, no wonder, as it is over 2,500 meters high and not far from the coast. It is visually impressive to circle the peninsula on the coastal road, almost at sea level, with a view of the beach and the sea in one direction, and the mountain, which often has a snow-capped peak (or the peak is hidden in clouds and fog), in the other direction.

We set up our tent directly on the beach in Opunake for two days. Here we met the two enduro riders from the previous day again. We took a short hike at Mount Taranaki, but the view wasn't very good as it was cloudy. Otherwise, we enjoyed the landscape, especially the spectacular sunset.

Since we still had plenty of time, we stayed in New Plymouth for a few more days, a nice town in the south of the peninsula. Finally, some sunshine and the tent on a beautiful campsite right behind the beach promenade, a perfect place to stay. From here, we could walk to the city along the very well-designed promenade. New Plymouth even had a few sights, starting with the beach promenade with the long pin with a red ball at the end called Wind Wand, the very modern Govett-Brewster Art Gallery with its loudly vibrating metal strips, and the Pukekura Park with a small zoo, which once again proves that the Kiwis excel in gardening.

We had great days there, of course, we met the two bikers again, this time on mountain bikes, and we arranged to meet for coffee with Tommy from the KTM forum, who has been living in New Plymouth for 3 years.