Urenui
Tucked away in a quiet corner of the Tarakani region, the Urenui locals go to great lengths to stay on the tourist radar.
The Urenui River flows past this sleepy settlement to spill into the North Taranaki Bight. The locals are a hoot. They’ll tell you that Urenui means “large male parts” in Māori, while it could also just mean “great courage.” During the annual sheep-shearing competition in the pub, competitors have to pedal a bicycle to power up the shears and the yearly Naki Run Amuck sees hundreds of muddy runners stampede through town.