Catching a Wave on the Surf Highway
Because Taranaki’s spherical coast collects 180 degrees of all possible swells, it offers New Zealand’s most consistent surf. For this reason, the 105 kilometre long Highway 45 that hugs this coast is also known as the Surf Highway. But the Surf Highway isn't just surf.
Nowhere does the Egmont National Park come closer to a main road than it does at Lucy's Gully, giving access to walks over the Kaitake Range and to the park's 300 kilometre track network.
You'll catch a glimmer of Taranaki's $2-billion energy industry at the Maui Production Station Visitor Centre at Oaonui.
You'll see more than a glimmer from the Maui offshore rig burning gas at night. Just up the road is the Egmont Lighthouse (turn off at Cape Road), protecting shipping here since 1881 and often photographed with Mount Taranaki in the background.
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