New Plymouth

Well its 9am on a warm summer morning. We comfortable ensconced on a bluff overlooking the Tasman Sea. We have a great view of Port Taranaki. I really like watching the big ships coming in and out of the harbor.
We arrived here yesterday. New Plymouth was named the best small city in the world by some UN group. It is about 45,000 with burbs maybe 65,000. Its situated right on the ocean and they've made the most of it. There is a 10km Coastal Walkway that is just below us. Yesterday we walked into town and looked around. There is a vibrant downtown and cafe culture. The Govett Brewster art museum is considered one of the best in NZ. This is also a city of gardens. Today we're heading down to the walkway; we hope to rent bikes to make the jaunt to Pokeheru park a bit easier. We'll take in the Puke Ariti museum, the art gallery, hope to head back here for a lunch of shrimp, lounge this afternoon before heading back downtown for dinner.

One of my travel maxims is to use travel books that you know and trust. Usually this means Moon, but increasingly I rely on Lonely Planet. Using a series you're familiar with makes it easier to form a good vision of what a new area will be. Today I failed to heed my own advice. Lonely Planet suggested renting from Cycle Inn in downtown NP. For some reason I asked the camp office where we could rent (hire in NZ) bikes and they suggested Happy Chaddys which was located on the wharf below our camp. Chaddy actually operates boat tours; bikes aren't his main interest and it shows. We couldn't find 2 working bikes and they were asking $10 per hour each. We gave up, hoofed on into downtown, located Cycle Inn and quickly were on our way with 2 terrific bikes that only cost of $20 total for 3 hours. The Coastal Walkway has recently been extended to the suburb of Bell Block making the one way ride about 12 km. The sea was at or left the entire way out. We passed by Fitzroy beach reputed to be some of the finest surfing in the world negotiated a few hills and arrived at a piece of art that doubles as a bridge. This bridge framed a view of Mt Taranaki; it has to be the most beautiful modern bridge I've seen.

We finished up the afternoon with a visit to the Govett-Brewster art museum – totally free. It houses the work of Len Lye, a filmaker and kinesthetic artist. He was from NP, spent the bulk of his career in the states and moved back to NZ in 1977,. only to die in 1980. I don't have the words to describe his work. Suffice it to say that he was able to imagine works that were beyond the technology of his time. He funded a foundation and left the plans knowing that the works would be feasible with future materals. In 1999, NP built the Wind Wand and in 2006 Wellington erected the Water Wand. The Wind Wand is a 45m carbon fiber tube that has a 2m globe at the top. It is delicately balanced and sways gracefully in the wind. The globe was first lit at midnight on 12/31/1999. I won't attempt to describe the Water Wand but only say that Melodee thinks Wellington got the better piece.

Lonely Planet recommended Arborgio as its pick of the restaurants. New Plymouth is located in the heart of the oil and gas region and as a result is very upscale. The guide didn't let us down. We thoroughly enjoyed our Risottos . The Sav Blanc was terrific. Melodee judged it the best ever. We'll be looking in the stores for a few bottles of 2009 Crowded House to bring home.

Every great city has a great park and NP is no exception. Our visit to Pukekera park showed us that it rivaled Stanley Park in Vancouver or New York's Central park. Not in size of course although it is plenty big, but in providing a wealth of outdoor spaces for the residents to enjoy. We were there for one of the 40 nights of the Festival of Lights a music fesival at various venues throughout the park. The band was a local indie rock group. They were good, but what was neat was the crowd. It was all locals, spanned all ages and everyone seemed to just sit back and enjoy the evening.