If you're tempted to visit New Plymouth and not take a nice pair of shoes, learn from my mistakes and don't do it, okay? With a blossoming gastro scene, and a well-established craft beer scene from way back, New Plymouth is worthy of your good shoes, and a pair of sneakers or beat-up old Docs won't do it.
As someone who visits New Plymouth every year (in the years that Womad is running, anyway), and so usually sees it from the perspective of kids and tents and just the occasional brew pub, the ever growing food scene here never ceases to amaze me.
If you're arriving early, you're going to want some good breakfast/brunch/lunch food in the sunniest spot in town - Monica's. Anywhere that has kedgeree on the menu gets my vote, but Monica's is also the lightest, brightest place to sit down and enjoy it, with floor-to-ceiling windows wrapped right around the cafe. Grab a booth at the side for the best people-watching spot, or one of the high shared tables along the middle if you're feeling more social.
