What it is
Puke Ariki, "hill of chiefs", takes its name from the Te Āti Awa pā that once stood on a hill here; settlers renamed it Mount Eliot, and it had been almost entirely levelled by 1905. The centre was opened by Prime Minister Helen Clark on 15 June 2003, merging the New Plymouth Public Library, founded in 1848, with the Taranaki Museum, founded in 1919.
The museum wing presents the natural and human history of Taranaki, from the volcano and the coast to Māori heritage, the conflicts of the 19th century and the region's settler, farming and energy history, alongside changing exhibitions. The library occupies a separate wing linked to the museum, facing the foreshore and the Coastal Walkway.
Getting there by bus
Puke Ariki sits beside the Ariki Street Bus Hub (stop 9202), about 60 metres away, where almost all city routes meet, including routes 1 to 8, 10A and 10B. Its bays include Bay A (stop 1157) for routes 5, 6 and the 98 to Inglewood, and Bay E (stop 1158) for routes 7 and 8.
Regional services stop at Bay F - Egmont Street (stop 1162), about 75 metres away: routes 101 and 101S from Hāwera and 106 from Ōpunake.
