15 January 2019

A new shuttle bus service is set to ease parking congestion at the North Egmont Visitors Centre, thanks to a collaboration between NPDC, the Department of Conservation (DOC) and the Volcano View Café.

The trial service is set to take travellers from the café to the Visitors Centre from Saturday (19 January) through to early April.

NPDC Infrastructure Manager David Langford says more and more visitors are coming to the region and the shuttle bus will help them enjoy walks and climbs on Mt Taranaki and the national park.

“A trip to Egmont National Park and our beautiful Mounga is one thing visitors like to tick off on their list of the many great things to do in Taranaki,” he says.

“We’re seeing a big rise in visitors coming to see our beautiful part of the world and this new service is about improving access for everyone. We’d like to thank the owners of the Volcano View Café who have been so helpful and positive about this idea.”

DOC Operations Manager Gareth Hopkins says: “The North Egmont Visitors Centre received approximately 10,000 visitors over the busy Christmas and New Year period. We want all visitors to the Mounga to enjoy their experience here, starting from a less congested car park and safer roads meaning a better experience for visitors to the area.”

Visitors using the bus, which is a joint initiative by NPDC and DOC, will be able to leave their vehicle at a car park near the Volcano View Café and the service runs on the hour from 9am to 5pm. The café will be open for travellers to enjoy some refreshments while they wait.

This is the first ever shuttle bus to North Egmont and if the trial is successful it could be used each summer to cut the number of cars heading up Egmont Road to the mountain.

NPDC has also improved access to the world-class Pouakai Crossing trek recently with a new car park and toilet block at the end of Mangorei Road which opened to visitors on Christmas Eve.

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