Lonely Planet's Taranaki

In reasonably resent times the joke was that most travellers who reached Taranaki had taken the wrong turn.  That has been changing and will change in a big way now that Lonely Planet has decreed it the second best region in the world to visit.  

Thanks to my daughter's decision to make Taranaki her home I've enjoyed more than my share of the Taranaki sights.  My hope is that such recognition will not spoil the natural feel of the region and bring commercialism. 

There's much more to Taranaki than the parts of it I love so much in my not so active years. For me, it's all about the mountain, lakes and the beaches. 

a beach and the mountain

I'll be back down there in a couple of weeks and the mission this time is to get a mountain reflected in a lake shot.  And, weather and my hips permitting, a Dawson Falls short walk.  There is also a garden, right beside a beach that I've read about but not yet found.  

Perhaps I will venture to a driftwood strewn beach:

Or an isolated cove amongst the cliffs:

I know for sure I will make several roadside stops to fire off a shot of the beautiful mountain.

 Provided, of course, the mountain comes out to play.