The Meeting of the Waters Scenic Reserve is the home to one of the most visited and popular watering holes in summer, with crowds flocking when the weather is nice out. It’s really fun taking those donut lilo toys to lay in and soak up those sun rays; with sun screen of course! It’s great for families and group outing alike, and it’s definitely one of those places you can enjoy a beer in the afternoon!

The Mud Flats are by far the best and most underrated things in Taranaki, the best part is that it’s literally priceless! It’s also home to some of the highest quality clay you can find in the country, and would work wonders as a face mask! You can mud slide, skid, wrestle, or slam and have fun in ways you don’t see a lot these days. What’s great is the river is right there next to it so you could easily clean off if you’ve overdosed on mud exposure!

If you wanted a place that was popular with the locals while still giving a generous amount of room for everyone to enjoy, this river is calling your name! The river flows under a bridge which is great for abseiling down but avoid jumping as its not quite deep enough! There is however a point not too far down from the bridge where it’s a bit deeper and you can show off how big your bombs can be!

One of the best things about this river hole is the different areas where you can challenge your friends to see who can make the biggest splash! There’s a few different points along the rock face where you can jump off from, providing such a thrill on the way down! You could literally spend a whole day here and never get bored, with the cliff jumping, and swimming, to age old handstand competitions and all day picnicking, it’s hard to believe many people haven’t been here!

Technically this is a lake but it does have a river at the end of it that goes under the white bridge and leads out to the ocean, which has been a well known fishing spot for decades! The lake is the main attraction, with boatloads of people visiting from December to February, and I must say, it is quite fun zooming round on one of those biscuits tied to the back of the boat!

This is one of the cheapest places in town to stay, although that in no way means it’s the worst! I have to say it’s the coolest place I’ve seen, the walls are brightly painted with matching block coloured furniture and light curtains! It makes it feel like your staying in the guest room in someones home rather than in a motel! I love that they have either a cheaper backpackers room to choose from or a room in the motel that’s slightly more expensive.

This is one of the best places to stay in New Plymouth, it’s central, is cheap as chips, and has a variety of different rooms available. Sharing a dorm room with stranger or friends is so cheap at $30 per person per night, or you could splash out a little bit and get a room with a double bed for $70! The backpackers is located within 100 metres of the library, the museum, several cafes, centre city, and a great view of the ocean!

Sunflower lodge is set in the rural bush of Taranaki, taking you far away from city noises and smells; despite it still being quite close to town! It can be quite a useful place to stay in March when the WOMAD festival is on as it’s only a short walk to Brooklands Park! The facilities are very impressive also, they have a piano AND a guitar; that is so cool! My favourite part is their herb garden where you can help yourselves to add to your meal!

If you have the accomodation but just need a place to park it, the Belt Road Seaside Holiday Park has you covered! This is by far the cheapest way to stay in Taranaki, as the rate is currently at $24 per person, per night! Although is does require you to already have your own motorhome or camper, there are some options if you don’t, such as a cabin, or a studio, although this is a bit more pricey!

If all you want is a basic motel room with all the normal facilities like a mini fridge and an iron, then the Carrington Motel is where you should book for your next overnight stay! It’s perfect for a business trip or if you’re going in and out all day, as it’s only a short walk to the CBD and is the cheapest motel that is closest to Pukekura Park and the Bowl of Brooklands; perfect for WOMAD coming up!

I love this time of year, especially when you can take a little trip around the region looking at Christmas lights that people have put up themselves, and some really go to town with their decorating! Theres a particular street that’s popular where every single house is decorated with rope lights, illuminated reindeer, and flashing lights over the windows! There are houses in Inglewood and Waitara that are just as good so don’t forget those whilst on the trail!

It’s the most beautiful and glitzy Christmas shop I’ve ever been into, with at least five different trees in store displaying the decorations they sell. More than that, they sell other important things than tree decorations like centrepieces, Christmas wreaths, nativity scene pieces, and snow globes, those are my favourite! I went in on their opening day and it was absolutely packed! I could hardly move, but there was a great selection of items getting in sooner!

Filled with Christmas cheer, singing along to carols and watching local artists perform at the bowl is such a joyous occasion! Thousands of people turn up, in fact last year there were over 15,000 people that attended the event, which is such a great turn out for little New Plymouth! It’s definitely something you don’t want to miss, and they always finish off the show with a BANG, they literally have an awesome fireworks display!

Round up the whole family, because this is one of the biggest events Taranaki hosts every year; and it’s well worth a visit! This event attracts over 100,000 people each year to gaze upon the beautiful Christmas lights in the park. They give out little booklets that have events happening on different nights like outdoor movies and performances! People even travel from different countries to see these lights around Christmas time and you simply can’t be in a mad mood around them!

Not only is this to place where you can cut down your own Christmas tree like the lumberjack you are, but they also are a host to a little coniferous light display in their garden! It’s really quite nice to have a stroll through it, and when you get your tree you’re greeted with upbeat Christmas music that they know everybody loves! The tree prices range from $35 to $50 for the bigger ones, get in early so you can find the perfect one for your home!

It used to be the old bin inn when they were all the rave but now it’s your humble Four Square! I’m not sure if it’s this way for all Four Squares but this one was open on Easter when we had no food in the house so it was a real life saver! It has everything you could ever need, even a small delicatessen area with fancy cheeses (my favourite) and salami!

This is a favourite of many in New Plymouth as it’s sort of in town, but not central enough so the suburb families can make an easy visit of it. Heaps of regulars come in to grab a paper, some lunch on their car ride, or even lollies from the school kids just down the road! They have a good selection of magazines of the shelf too with all the gossip you could ever need!

I used to visit here all the time to get my lolly fix! My favourites were those gummy pizzas and gummy burgers that you could construct yourself, and you can’t forget about the sour worms and rainbow strips in the pick n mix area! I love their pie selection as well, they have Mrs Macs pies, Andersons pies, and Nelsons pies; so such a great selection when you’re on the go!

This Four Square is so huge, I swear it’s bigger than other ones in the region! They’re actually one of the few places I’ve seen that sell Big Ben pies other than the supermarket and they’re hot and ready to eat too! They also have a real nice range of lunch options, they have filled roles, sausage rolls, and heaps more, it’s almost like a dairy mixed with a mini supermarket!

This dairy is convenient as well as awesome, it’s nestled in between a couple of food shops and it right up the road from WITT and Boys High School. I can be pretty confident in saying that for a dairy, they do the best and thickest milkshakes around with all the best flavours to choose from, it’s a great treat for a sweet tooth! Their ice creams are great in the summer too!

The top destination for families this summer has got to be Ngamotu Beach, the waves are low, the black sand is hot, and there’s heaps of room for everyone! Bring the BBQ down and have a family get together by one of the picnic tables, it’s always been a favourite pastime of mine. Make sure you set up camp not far away from the playground to keep the kids entertained after their swim!

Audrey Gale Reserve is located within Merrilands Domain, quite a popular walking track in the area. The best part about this place is that there’s not only one BBQ area, there’s two with a wood burner fireplace! All you need to do is supply the wood, no gas required, I love that! There’s heaps of nice shaded areas if it’s just too hot and it’s nice to see the Waiwhakaiho river away form all the traffic for once!

This is another favourite of mine that I visited frequently as a child and still do to this day. There are so many spots to sit and eat your picnic! Not to mention the very long wall of hydrangea that his the road the whole way! Wherever you sit down to eat, there will be ducks, swans, and geese to keep you company; although don’t feed them any bread, the council say they’re getting too fat!

Who wouldn’t enjoy a picnic in summer surrounded by beautiful flowers and giant hanging trees with a zoo right next door? Brooklands Park has all of this and more, including the Bowl of Brooklands with a lake full of cute little ducks! It’s a really lovely atmosphere that is so peaceful to be in; even if you bring kids that run around and scream, you still feel relaxed and present in the moment!

Beaches are some of my favourite places to go and chill out, either with a small picnic and a book with just my own company, or a huge basket load of food with some friends, East End Reserve is no exception to that love! They even have a gas BBQ you can use on site, AND a skate park; you could spend all day here and not get bored! The waves are a bit bigger out here so proper supervision will be needed for the kids, but it’s perfect for the surfers!

With a vamped up new menu and an exterior redecoration, it really will make the kids excited to chow down on dinner here! Their curly fries are a huge hit, my little brother loves them when he comes in. So is the pull-apart bread, with either a chipotle and bacon flavour, or a mozzarella, basil and tomato flavour; I’m rather tempted to get them both myself! And what child wouldn’t love a cookie cooked in a pan!?

I love coming here with the family, the casual dining atmosphere is a great accompaniment to good company! They do amazing pub grub with meals for kids, and their fries are top notch; it’s great when they’re too hot to eat when they get to the table! Summer is right around the corner and their outdoor dining area is perfect for lunch as there are umbrellas to shield from those UV rays!

This is one of the best places to go in Stratford with the family, whether it’s just for a quick catch up drink or a long sit down meal, I really can’t fault the place! They cater for kids, and the oldies, with an awesome outdoor area to enjoy you meal at! Their crowd pleaser is definitely their scallop dish, crumbed to perfection with their crispy fries and a salad!

The treehouse is a classic family pub, one I was a local at as a child. The menu I like because it’s different from others, especially the kiddie options. Cheesey bacon tagliatelle pasta would have been my go-to meal years ago, so would the chicken sliders with a creamy slaw; delicious! They even have a little tackers plate with raisins, marshmallows, fresh fruit and fairy bread (or vegemite or peanut butter sandwiches), I haven’t seen this before but it’s such a good idea!

With so many deep fried options served with fries such as hotdogs, squid rings, fish bites, and of course the famous chicken nugget, any kid would be ecstatic to eat lunch here; battered food was my absolute go to when I was younger! Theres such great options for everyone else too, like for lunch there are four different egg dishes and also the choice of a steak or chicken open sandwich, with heaps more!