Taranaki

Taranaki is a region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the third smallest in area of the 17 administrative regions of New Zealand policy.

The Taranaki region is surrounded on three sides by the Tasman Sea. On the northwestern coast of the North Taranaki Bight begins on the southern coast of the South Taranaki Bight, two extensive bays, affecting the entire west coast of New Zealand’s North Island.

Taranaki is the center of Mt Taranaki (formerly Mount Egmont) in the middle of the Egmont National Park. The weather held up by the sea coming from the mountain provides a very humid climate in Taranaki. A regional proverb is, “If you can not see the mountain, then it’s raining and if you can see it, then it is going to rain.”

Demography and Towns

Capital of the region is Stratford with an area of 7,273km². By far the largest city is New Plymouth, with about half of the 102,858 inhabitants (as of 2001). A third major town is Hawera, the most important town of the South Taranaki District. Other notable settlements are Waitara, Inglewood, Opunake, Eltham and Patea.

History

The first European settlers landed in 1840 in this region. Because of shady deals, there were tensions between immigrants and the Maori.

Economy

Because of the fertile soil and the rainy weather Taranaki is particularly well suited for agriculture, particularly for the dairy industry. Near the town of Hawera is the second largest dairy in the southern hemisphere.

Also located in the Taranaki region on both the country and in the Tasman Sea are gas fields and fields of methanol, which covers almost the entire energy needs of New Zealand.

Due to the unexpectedly high demand for natural gas, the fields in this region are to be depleted earlier than expected. Due to the low flow conditions there are certain stretches of coastline good which is good for surfing and windsurfing.

Subdivisions

The Taranaki region is divided into three districts:

The New Plymouth District Council
The Stratford District, which is partly still in the region of Manawatu-Wanganui
The South Taranaki District.