Whether you’re a collector, creator, or simply seeking inspiration, the Coastal Arts Trail – a 300 km gallery crawl through our most vibrant creative heartlands – offers an immersive creative journey that celebrates talented local artists and cultural icons.

The North Island’s west coast is a creative heartland and the Coastal Arts Trail offers a rewarding way to explore it. Stretching through Taranaki, Whanganui and Manawatū, this is New Zealand’s largest self-guided art trail, blending creativity with striking natural landscapes and unique creative encounters.

More than a checklist of places to visit, the Coastal Arts Trail follows the pulse of creativity through three regions; taking you through the sweeping coastlines, river valleys and gentle hillside landscapes that have long nurtured the vibrant artistic energy of the area. Along the way you’ll explore contemporary galleries, important cultural institutions and tucked-away studios, with the chance in some locations to meet artists at work. It’s also an opportunity to uncover and take-home exceptional paintings, ceramics, sculpture and design, which embody the regions’ creative spirit.

The Coastal Arts Trail is designed to be explored at your own pace. Dip in for a day, follow a single region, or weave together a longer journey. If you’re travelling from the upper North Island, Taranaki is a natural place to begin, with the trail continuing south through Whanganui and Manawatū. If you’re arriving from the lower North Island, simply reverse the order – the Coastal Arts Trail works just as beautifully in either direction.

Taranaki

At the heart of Taranaki sits the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery Len Lye Centre, a must-see for its distinctive undulating stainless steel façade, internationally recognised contemporary exhibitions and spell-binding kinetic works by Len Lye. Nearby, The Collaboration is a design store and gallery showcasing the work of over 45 local designers and artists. Further along the coast, the trail shifts into more intimate, hands-on encounters: in Ōakura, Ringcraft Moana Jewellers offer studio tours and jewellery-making workshops, offering a unique glimpse of fine craft in motion. In Ōpunakē, from out of the blue studio invites you to watch textile art come to life on working looms, while in Eltham, The Bank showcases Mark Bellringer’s paintings and photography, inspired by the quiet beauty of the region’s back roads.

Whanganui

As you continue south, Whanganui unfolds as a major arts hub as New Zealand’s UNESCO City of Design. Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery is a must-visit, a striking heritage building with a nationally significant collection, and nearby The Quartz Museum of Studio Ceramics celebrates the evolution of ceramics through thousands of works. For a more immersive experience, NZ Glassworks – Te Whare Tūhua o Te Ao offers live hot-shop demonstrations where you can watch glass artists in action or even try your hand at making a piece. In Castlecliff, Vostinar Gallery is a working studio brimming with ceramic sculptures, pottery and oil paintings, where you can linger and explore the art in the space it’s created.

 

Manawatū

The trail finishes in Manawatū with a mix of renowned galleries and local studios. In Palmerston North, Te Manawa anchors the region with a broad public collection and touring exhibitions, while LIGHTBOX Gallery champions local artists in a more intimate setting. Square Edge Arts Centre is a vibrant arts hub housed in a beautiful art deco building, where you can browse ever-changing exhibitions, meet working artists in their studios and connect with the local creative community. A short drive out to Ashhurst, Suzanne McAllen Pottery invites you into her working studio, where functional ceramics can be purchased directly from the artist, or created by your own hands during a public workshop.

The Coastal Arts Trail experience is an all-year round experience designed to be enjoyed at your own pace; with plenty more to discover beyond this taster! Visit coastalartstrail.co.nz to plan your art adventure.