New Zealand names top town
14 Oct 2008
New Plymouth on the west coast of the North Island has been named New Zealand's Top Town in a national magazine poll.
North & South magazine rated New Plymouth ahead of Christchurch in the South Island. Auckland and Wellington, the North Island's two largest cities, tied for third place.
The Top Town competition announcement comes just a few weeks after New Plymouth was named the only New Zealand finalist for a Whole City Award in the International Awards for Liveable Communities.
Top lifestyle
Winning reasons for New Plymouth's Top Town status were climate and natural environment, as well as strong economy, facilities, affordable housing and lifestyle.
New Plymouth had also rapidly developed its art and cultural offerings since the last national top town competition in 2000, the magazine said.
Distinguishing developments like Puke Ariki, the city's new museum, library and visitor information centre, concerts and events like WOMAD (the World of Music, Arts and Dance festival) and major sporting events such as the ITU Triathlon World Cup, Davis Cup, rugby and cricket fixtures, all led to the top rating.
Community spirit
"To cap it all, we felt New Plymouth has a sense of 'can-do' and a real community spirit. It quickly became clear that New Plymouth was our winner," said North & South editor Virginia Larson.
The magazine also scored New Plymouth highly for job opportunities and economic growth.
Parks and beaches
New Plymouth has a population of about 70,000 and is in the Taranaki region known for dramatic iron sand beaches, national parks and gardens of signifcance.
Later this month the 21st Taranaki Rhododendron and Garden Festival (October 31 - November 9) will open 49 local gardens to the public. The show gardens include 18 'gardens of significance', 10 of which are designated as nationally significant.
Taranaki is known internationally for its wide variety of rare rhododenrons especially in Pukeiti Gardens - a 360 hectare rainforest at the base of Mount Taranaki.
The Last Samurai
Mount Taranaki, about 30 minutes drive from the city centre, stands 2518 metres high, and is one of the most symmetrical volcanic cones in the world. There is a secondary cone, Fanthams Peak, on the south side.
Because of its resemblance to Mount Fuji, Taranaki provided the backdrop for the movie The Last Samurai.
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