A towering statue of a shearer presides over Te Kūiti, which bills itself as the world's shearing capital. The town hosts a yearly carnival, including a 'running of the sheep' down the main street, and a shearing competition where champion shearers - skilled athletes who can process more than 700 animals a day - are put through their paces. Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives, http://www.soundarchives.co.nz/. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number sa-t-0301-pm).

The Mōkau River is famed as a source of whitebait - the juvenile forms of native freshwater fish, often made into delicious fritters. In the 1830s it was the site of a trick by the migrating Ngāti Toa tribe, who lit many fires and dressed their women as chiefs to make their party appear larger and scare off pursuers. Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives, http://www.soundarchives.co.nz/. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number CDR931).

The small Taranaki town of Waitara has been the site of many battles, including major conflict between Waikato war parties and the local Te Āti Awa people. In 1860 a dispute over land ownership at Waitara led to the first Taranaki war between Māori and the government. Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives, http://www.soundarchives.co.nz/. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number sa-d-0075-01-s1-pm).

Innovative New Zealand artist Len Lye has become better-known since his death in 1980. Technological advances have allowed more of the graceful and lively kinetic sculptures Lye designed to be built, including two public sculptures - the Wind Wand in New Plymouth and the Water Whirler in Wellington. Lye's collected works are housed at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth. Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives, http://www.soundarchives.co.nz/. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number TXCDR1145 Tr 1).

The Sugar Loaf Islands and Paritutū are the remnants of an enormous volcano - the oldest in Taranaki. British explorer James Cook named the islands, which are the source of the mineral taranakite. Since 1991 they have been part of a protected marine park.

At the centre of Taranaki is the dramatic volcanic cone of Mt Taranaki, named Mt Egmont in 1770 by British explorer James Cook. The mountain's lava flows and volcanic debris are the source of Taranaki's rich soils and dairy-farming wealth, and its distinctive snowy cone has featured in advertising, murals, military badges and assorted logos. Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives, http://www.soundarchives.co.nz/. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number CD2491).

Stone war-memorial gates in Stratford commemorate Lieutenant Colonel William George Malone, a local farmer and lawyer who commanded the Wellington Infantry Regiment at Gallipoli, Turkey, in the First World War. Although the Gallipoli campaign was a failure overall, Malone's troops had some successes. However, Malone was killed by friendly fire shortly after his men seized Chunuk Bair. Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives, http://www.soundarchives.co.nz/. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number C293).

The 1982 closure of the Pātea freezing works could have spelled the death of the town. But salvation came from an unlikely source - the lively song 'Poi e', by Dalvanius Prime and Ngoi Pēwhairangi, became a 1984 hit single for the local Pātea Māori Club.

Cooks Gardens in Whanganui made international headlines in January 1962, when New Zealand athlete Peter Snell ran a mile in 3 minutes and 54.4 seconds, setting a new world record. A protégé of the running coach Arthur Lydiard, Snell won gold for New Zealand at the 1960 and 1964 Olympics. He is commemorated at Cooks Gardens by a statue gazing towards the finish line. Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives, http://www.soundarchives.co.nz/. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number sa-t-0130-su01-pm).

Lake Papaitonga's peaceful bush-clad setting belies its bloody past. After the local Muaūpoko tribe attacked a group including Ngāti Toa chief Te Rauparaha, they became a target for reprisal raids by Ngāti Toa. Despite retreating to artificial islands they had built in Lakes Papaitonga and Horowhenua, large numbers of Muaūpoko were killed, and survivors fled to the nearby Tararua Range.