Taranaki's coastline is a mecca for surfers. © Dave Young

Catch a break on Taranaki's Surf Highway 45

TAP FOR MORE INFO:

Generations of adventurous surfers have made the pilgrimage along Taranaki’s coastline in search of the perfect wave. Take their lead this summer on Surf Highway 45. 

The 105-kilometre highway runs from New Plymouth, around the elbow of coastline that encloses Mount Taranaki to Hāwera, with almost every point along the coast home to the type of surf that dreams are made of. 

From Fitzroy Beach’s famous ‘hollow waves,’ to the powerful surf and shifting sandbanks of Back Beach or the left-hand break with fast barrel sections at Kumera Patch, there are waves here to challenge even the most experienced surfer. 

There are, of course, sea and mountain views to die for and the small towns along the highway – Ōakura, Ōkato and Ōpunake – all have welcoming cafés and a growing array of artisan studios and galleries for those not wanting to get wet.

And, at the end of the day, salty and happy, nothing much beats a west coast sunset with world famous (in New Zealand) fish and chips. 

Explore more…

More stories like this

Find out more

Get outdoors

Taranaki: like no other

Taranaki’s catchphrase, that it is 'like no other' – is, at first glance, nonsensical: after all, no place is quite like any other. But let’s see... Read the story . . . 

Find out more

Road trips

Surf Highway 45: New Plymouth to Hāwera

Taranaki's hemispherical coastline between Fitzroy and Hāwera is home to 180 degrees of ocean swell where you can almost be certain of solid, pumping surf. Read the story . . . 

Find out more

Things to do

Mount Taranaki: picture-perfect peak

Taranaki is about as close as you can get to the ideal of volcanic beauty – almost perfectly round, its nearly symmetrical cone rising to a pointed summit, with a single crater. Read the story . . . 

Find out more

Get outdoors

Taranaki's gardens: a sight to make the heart sing

Taranaki's gardens are a sight to make the heart sing – especially since you don’t have to do the weeding. Read the story . . .