A symmetrical volcano visible from almost everywhere
Around Taranaki you'll find a symmetrical volcano visible from almost everywhere. Ask your guide about surfing — it's the kind of thing that turns a transfer into a day you remember.
Taranaki → Taranaki
Hawera to StratfordDay tours & experiences
Set out from Hawera towards Stratford and the landscape starts telling its own story well before you arrive.
Stratford sits in Taranaki — a near-perfect volcanic cone rising straight out of green farmland and black-sand coast. With your own vehicle and a local guide you can shape the day around what you actually want to see, rather than a timetable.
Taranaki
What you might experience
A taste of what a day around Stratford can hold.
Rainforest walks in the national park
Around Taranaki you'll find rainforest walks in the national park. Ask your guide about garden visits — it's the kind of thing that turns a transfer into a day you remember.
Black-sand surf beaches
Around Taranaki you'll find black-sand surf beaches. Ask your guide about coastal walkway — it's the kind of thing that turns a transfer into a day you remember.
Sculpture parks and a surprisingly good arts scene
Around Taranaki you'll find sculpture parks and a surprisingly good arts scene. Ask your guide about mountain walks — it's the kind of thing that turns a transfer into a day you remember.
Tour options
Ways to travel between Hawera and Stratford.
Full-day guided tour
A whole day with your own driver-guide — the classic way to see the highlights without watching the clock or reading a map.
Half-day experience
A shorter loop for arrival days, cruise stops or when you want the afternoon back. Fewer stops, same local knowledge.
Scenic transfer with stops
Travelling anyway? Turn the journey itself into the sightseeing, pausing wherever the view, the coffee or the photo is worth it.
Custom group tour
Families, friends and small groups in one private vehicle, with an itinerary written around what your group actually wants to do.
Why travel between these towns
Starting in Hawera puts you on the doorstep of Taranaki, so you can layer a local highlight into the start or end of the day.
Your driver-guide is a local. They know which lookout is clear in the morning, which café is worth the stop and which short walk is worth the shoes.
The road between Hawera and Stratford threads through the kind of country people fly across the world to see — a near-perfect volcanic cone rising straight out of green farmland and black-sand coast.
Gateway experiences
Make the most of both ends of your journey.
Hawera
Before you set out, Hawera is a good place to slow down — Taranaki is known for black-sand surf beaches and sculpture parks and a surprisingly good arts scene.
Stratford
Once you arrive, Stratford opens up mountain walks, coastal walkway and garden visits in and around the wider Taranaki area.
Frequently asked questions
More day trips from Hawera
Explore more of Taranaki
Ready to see Stratford?
Tell us what you'd like to do and we'll come back with a private itinerary and a clear quote.