Tawhiwhi, Taranaki Map

About Tawhiwhi, Taranaki

Tawhiwhi is a locality in the Taranaki Region of New Zealand. It sits at an elevation of around 268 m above sea level. It lies approximately 88 km south-east of New Plymouth, the regional capital. Tawhiwhi is located at 39.6333°S, 174.8000°E. It observes New Zealand Time (NZST/NZDT).

Tawhiwhi lies cradled in the rolling green heart of Taranaki. It lies 39.6 km north-north-west of Whanganui (from Whanganui: bearing 327°T), and is situated 24.7 km west-south-west of Jerusalem. The land here is a tapestry of fertile pastures, stitched together by the meandering Waitotara River, its waters reflecting the broad, ever-changing sky. Gentle hills, softened by time and cultivation, rise and fall, their slopes often cloaked in the deep, rich hues of native bush, a remnant of the wilder country that once stretched unbroken. In the distance, the imposing silhouette of the Kaharoa Range provides a dramatic backdrop, its peaks often veiled in a soft, ethereal mist, particularly in the cool, still mornings. The air itself carries a clean, earthy scent, hinting at the rich soil and the damp breath of nearby vegetation.

The story of Tawhiwhi is deeply entwined with the land it occupies, a place where the rhythm of dairy farming dictates the pulse of life. The rich volcanic soil, a legacy of the region's geological past, supports a thriving agricultural economy, with herds of Friesian cattle dotting the verdant paddocks. While the surrounding countryside is dominated by pastoral pursuits, Tawhiwhi itself serves as a quiet hub, a place where the local community congregates. The nearby Makakaho Falls offer a natural spectacle, a place of quiet contemplation where the rushing water seems to carry the whispers of generations past, a reminder of the enduring spirit of this inland district.

About This Tawhiwhi Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Tawhiwhi, Taranaki, New Zealand at coordinates -39.63333, 174.8. Use the Map and Satellite buttons to switch views, the plus and minus buttons to zoom, and Fullscreen to fill the screen.

Search Maps opens a second, independent map with four things the embedded map cannot do. It searches OpenStreetMap for any New Zealand town, suburb or landmark by name. It offers LINZ topographic maps as a base layer — the official Topo250 and Topo50 sheets, switching scale automatically as you zoom, and the standard reference for tramping, hunting and back-country travel. It offers LINZ aerial imagery down to 5cm resolution in urban areas. And it can take a single GPS fix from your device and report your position as both an NZTM2000 grid reference and plain latitude and longitude — the grid reference being what New Zealand search and rescue services work from. Map tiles require mobile coverage, but a GPS position does not, so the coordinates remain correct even where the map itself cannot load.

My Location & Navigate starts the vector-tile navigator: live turn-by-turn driving directions from your current position to any destination, with spoken guidance, lane hints and automatic re-routing.

Live weather conditions with current observations and a 7-day forecast are powered by Open-Meteo. Real-time New Zealand and world news feeds keep the page current, while an editorial description provides background on Tawhiwhi.

Tawhiwhi sits within the Taranaki Region. Location data is drawn from the GeoNames geographical database and verified by coordinates, ensuring the correct Tawhiwhi is identified even where the name is shared across multiple New Zealand localities.