travel.mapsofworld.com offers you information about Puke Ariki, New Plymouth.

Puke Ariki, New Plymouth is one of the best heritage sites in New Zealand. Puke Ariki, New Plymouth is the world’s only innovational Knowledge center of its kind. It is the place where museum, library and visitor’s information center has been integrated to tell the stories of past, present and future related to the Taranaki region of New Zealand.

This site is also the winner of the Creative Places Award of New Zealand for 2003. Puke Ariki, New Plymouth has blended both history and information entertainment in the hi-fi technological scenario to make the project a challenging one. Today, Puke Ariki has emerged as one of the popular tourist attractions in New Plymouth.

The site of Puke Ariki is also a place of natural beauty. It is a building comprising of two wings, situated in the Central Business District of New Plymouth, beside the Coastal Walkway and the Tasman Sea.

It is very important for the Maoris, as, formerly it was pa (palisaded village) and a papakainga (home base) called Puke Ariki, meaning “The Hill of Chiefs”. It is also important to the Pakehas, as, later it became the center of administration of the New Plymouth town.

For about an era the land has undergone reclamation and by 1905 it was completely turned down. It was in the later part of 1980s, the New Plymouth District Council realized the potential of the place and Puke Ariki was founded. It was a big step for the city and Puke Ariki got to be the focus of integrity of ideas, people and energy.

Puke Ariki is also important in another aspect, as it is the first public project where eight iwis ( Maori tribes), worked together.

Puke Ariki is the place, which tells the long legendary tale of passion, conflict struggles and challenges of Taranaki, the mountain through exhibitions, displays and collections and technology.

The various sites at Puke Ariki are as follows:

• The Maori Gallery: This area provides an interactive experience of knowing the origin of New Zealand and Taranaki, the prehistoric ancestors of the present day animal life, and the contemporary flora and fauna variety.
• Taranaki Life: This area puts light on the past and present Taranaki, with respect to the land wars, the early settlers, agriculture, industry, daily life and education, by means of slides, sounds, film clips, light and touch screen computers.
• Richmond Cottage: It is the heritage garden, created as a replica to the colonial homes with gardens. It comprises of native plants, flowers, vegetables, fruits and medicinal herbs.
• Taranaki Research Center: It is an archive
• Taranaki Experience: It is a 12 minutes visual experience of a multi media film which will reel you through the province of Taranaki

• Temporary Exhibitions Gallery
• Discover it- an educational facility
• New Plymouth’s Visitor Center
• The Daily News- A café and a News Center
• Arborio Restaurant