Taranaki and the New Plymouth District in particular is well-served in the area of sports, with a wide range of high-quality venues to suit a variety of festival and events.
Yarrow Stadium regularly hosts major rugby matches and other sports events, and will be hosting the All Black vs Ireland game in June 2010 as well as 3 RWC matches in September 2011. Pukekura Park is used for cricket in summer and rugby league during winter, as well as a variety of music, art and garden festivals, events and concerts. Basketball, netball and soccer are also popular in the district, and indoor hockey players enjoy an impressive purpose-built stadium in the coastal setting of East End Reserve.
If golf is your game, the New Plymouth District can boast more courses per person than anywhere else in New Zealand, while for swimmers, the New Plymouth Aquatic Centre features heated indoor and outdoor pools, a wave machine, water slides and a fitness centre, along with a spa pool and sauna.
The Taranaki Rhododendron and Garden Festival is an established annual event with a very successful 18 year history! This is the only garden festival in New Zealand where all the gardens have been independently assessed by the New Zealand Garden Trust for their design, plant selection, and maintenance.
The TSB Bank Festival of Lights is set in the magnificent Pukekura Park, Fillis St, New Plymouth. Every year it kicks off in December to coincide with the Christmas at the Bowl concert. The festival runs through to early February with two stages of entertainment on in the park every night.
Taranaki also has a bienial Festival of Arts and has an impresive theatre which put on a wide choice of entertainment, from ballet to comedy, bands and plays, and is also home to the now annual WOMAD festival. |
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