Taranaki, a region of 115,000 residents, is located on the western side of New Zealand's North Island. The dominant physical landmark is Mount Taranaki / Egmont. Its presence helps ensure Taranaki receives a plentiful supply of rain and as a result it is one of the world's premier dairying regions.
In recent times energy has developed as a second major industry. Taranaki is the only area of New Zealand where commercial quantities of oil and gas have been discovered and the presence of these resources has sparked the development of a broad diversity of petrochemical businesses and activities.
The agricultural and energy industries have driven the development of Taranaki's sound commercial and industrial infrastructure. Taranaki's main centre is New Plymouth, a modern city of 60,000 people and the site of the region's port, Port Taranaki.
Port Taranaki offers direct road and rail transport linkages to other centres throughout New Zealand. There are rail services to both the north and south and the Taranaki region further accessed by two highways. New Plymouth airport offers frequent scheduled airline services to all major cities and towns, primarily Auckland and Wellington.
Distance in kms | Road | Rail |
Auckland | 357 | 467 |
Gisbourne | 585 | 646 |
Hamilton | 231 | 328 |
Hawera | 78 | 78 |
Napier | 412 | 434 |
Palmerston North | 234 | 254 |
Rotorua | 299 | 467 |
Tauranga | 308 | 425 |
Wanganui | 160 | 175 |
Wellington | 355 | 391 |
Whangarei | 526 | 664 |
Distance in Nautical Miles | Sea |
Onehunga(Auckland) | 143 |
Nelson | 145 |
Greymouth | 251 |
Lyttleton(Christchurch) | 316 |
Timaru | 402 |
Port Chalmers(Dunedin) | 478 |