The Road Less Travelled
Taranaki › Herbertville
One of the great aspects of New Zealand is if you are tired of one coast it is a relatively short hop cross country to the other side for a change of scene. From where we live in Ōakura it takes between four and seven hours to make the drive depending on where you’re going. When the westerlies hit the Taranaki coast for a week it was the perfect time to load up the car and head off on a camping trip to the east side. After studying our trusty NZ Road Atlas hunting for somewhere we had not explored before, somewhere with surf, we decided on the little coastal settlement of Herbertville on the Tararua coast near Cape Turnagain.
With the car packed we drove south around Mt Taranaki on the Wiremu Road down to Hāwera. The weather cleared as we travelled south through the historic South Taranaki towns of Pātea and Waverly. Whanganui is around two hours from New Plymouth and a good place to refuel, pick up groceries, or stop for a bite to eat. The downtown area has a range of eateries with plenty of choice for a quick stop. One of our favourites, especially when passing through Whanganui after skiing at Turoa, is the authentic Turkish Kebabholik – their kebabs are delicious.
