Stratford

The town of Stratford sits under the eastern side of Mt. Taranaki and is a service town for surrounding farms. Its streets are named after characters from Shakespeare's works, and it has the first glockenspiel in New Zealand, which chimes four times a day. Because the town is at the junction of highways 3 and 43, you'll likely pass through at some stage if you're exploring Taranaki. Some of the country's most interesting private gardens, including Te Popo and Hollard, are found in the rich volcanic soil here.