Last updated October 2026
Everett Park is a rural locality in New Plymouth District, on the inland Taranaki ring plain east of Inglewood. It is not a township and it is not part of the New Plymouth urban area. Farms and lifestyle properties sit along quiet roads, with the Manganui River and a remnant of lowland forest as the public face of the area.
The locality shares its name with Everett Park Scenic Reserve, and Everett Road commemorates Captain Charles Everett, an early settler and militia officer.
Everyday shops and schools are in Inglewood, while New Plymouth is the city people use for work and larger services. For visitors, and for anyone thinking of living here, the appeal is river country and space, not a village centre.
Practical Information
- Ward or local board
- Kōhanga Moa General Ward, represented by the Inglewood Community Board
- Getting there
- State Highway 3 to Inglewood, then east on Tarata Road, left onto Bristol Road and left into Everett Road. No bus, train or ferry service was confirmed for the locality.
- Main shopping
- Inglewood town centre, the nearest rural service town. No shopping strip was confirmed inside Everett Park.
- Nearby landmarks
- Everett Park Scenic Reserve, the Manganui River, and Inglewood town
About Everett Park
Everett Park sits inland of the coast, in the farming country that spreads across the lower slopes of Taranaki Maunga. Inglewood, on State Highway 3, is the nearest town and the place most residents go for a supermarket, a school gate or a council counter.
The locality itself has no town centre. What you find instead is open pasture, shelter belts and scattered houses on larger sections, with Everett Road running down toward the river.
The name comes from the road and the reserve, not from a separate village foundation that can be dated in the council record.
Puke Ariki’s street history records that Everett Road was named for Captain Charles Everett (1812-1878). He arrived in New Plymouth in August 1852 on the Sir Edward Paget, farmed at Bell Block, and served in the Taranaki Militia. He was present at early engagements at Huirangi and Kaihihi, was promoted to lieutenant in 1863 and captain in 1865, and received the New Zealand War Medal in 1872. His soldier’s land grant, section 181, lay in the Huirangi and Mataitawa districts and ran beside the Manganui River. He died at his Courtenay Street home on 13 July 1878 and was buried at Te Hēnui Cemetery.
The public land that gave the locality its name is a scenic reserve on the banks of the Manganui River. The Department of Conservation describes it as a place to walk, swim or picnic, with kamahi and tawa as the dominant trees.
Two access roads lead to grassed picnic areas with toilets and river pools, and a short walk reaches a shallow cave overhang at the river edge.
The regional tourism listing places the reserve 8 kilometres east of Inglewood and notes glow worms in the cave after dark. This page is about the rural locality, not a track guide. Check the DOC pages before you go, because river levels, track conditions and access rules can change.
Living here means a rural routine. No shop, school or public transport stop was confirmed inside the locality. Inglewood covers most daily needs, and New Plymouth covers the rest.
Inglewood has long serviced a mainly dairy-farming district, and Everett Park sits in that same pattern: working farms, lifestyle blocks, and a strip of native bush kept when the ring plain was cleared for pasture.
Getting Around
The practical route from New Plymouth is State Highway 3 southeast to Inglewood, then local roads east. DOC directs reserve visitors along Tarata Road, left onto Bristol Road, and left into Everett Road.
The drive from Inglewood to the cave-track entrance is about 10 minutes. There is no confirmed bus, train or ferry into Everett Park, so a car is the realistic way in.
Inglewood is the connection point for the highway, and from there New Plymouth and the mountain road are ordinary district drives. Treat the last stretch as a rural road, not a city street.
Getting Outdoors
Most of Everett Park is private farmland, so the public outdoors are concentrated at Everett Park Scenic Reserve. DOC lists grassed picnic areas, toilets and swimming spots on the Manganui River, plus bush walking to a cave overhang. The regional tourism listing also notes glow worms in that cave, and describes the reserve as open around the clock.
Dogs are not allowed on the Cave Walk, and DOC asks visitors to follow the usual rules for pets on conservation land. River swimming depends on flow and weather. This is not a patrolled beach. If the river is high or discoloured, stay out, and read the DOC page before you visit.
History and Heritage
Everett Park does not have a documented town foundation of its own. Its story is a road, a soldier’s grant and a piece of bush that survived clearance. Puke Ariki notes that Everett Road is the road people already know if they have visited the scenic reserve.
The wider district’s Māori history is centred, in the published record, on Inglewood’s Te Kōhanga Moa Marae and the Matamua meeting house, affiliated with the Te Āti Awa hapū of Pukerangiora. That affiliation is recorded for the marae in town. It is useful context, not a surveyed statement of mana whenua over every paddock in this locality.
The ward name carries its own history. New Plymouth District Council explains that Kōhanga Moa means nest of the moa, a reference to moa habitat in the Inglewood area. The Inglewood Community Board represents that ward, which takes in the town and rural communities including Tarata, further east along the same road corridor that leads to Everett Road.
Where to Learn More
Department of Conservation: Everett Park Scenic Reserve: official page for the reserve, including picnic areas, walks and contacts.
Puke Ariki: Everett Road (Inglewood): the naming history of Everett Road and Captain Charles Everett.
New Plymouth District Council: Inglewood Community Board Plan: ward and community-board context for Inglewood and the rural communities to the east.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Everett Park a suburb of New Plymouth?
No. It is a rural locality in New Plymouth District, east of Inglewood, not part of the New Plymouth urban area.
Does Everett Park have its own shops?
No shopping centre or retail strip was confirmed in the locality. Inglewood town centre is the place for everyday shopping.
How do I get to Everett Park from New Plymouth?
Take State Highway 3 to Inglewood, then drive east on Tarata Road, turn left onto Bristol Road and left into Everett Road. A private vehicle is needed. No local bus, train or ferry was confirmed.
Where do children go to school?
No school was confirmed inside Everett Park. The nearest schools are in Inglewood, including Inglewood Primary School, St Patrick’s School and Inglewood High School. Confirm enrolment zones with the school before you rely on them.
Is the scenic reserve the same place as the locality?
They share a name, but they are not the same thing. Everett Park is the rural locality. Everett Park Scenic Reserve is public conservation land on Everett Road, beside the Manganui River.
Can I swim or picnic at the reserve?
DOC describes grassed picnic areas, toilets and river pools, and the regional tourism listing says the reserve is open around the clock. River conditions change. Check the DOC page before you visit, and do not swim if the river is high or discoloured.
Are dogs allowed?
On private property, that is between the owner and district dog rules. On the reserve, DOC states that dogs are not allowed on the Cave Walk. Check the DOC page for access rules before you bring a pet onto conservation land.
Who was Everett Park named after?
Everett Road, and the park and locality that take their name from it, commemorate Captain Charles Everett. He arrived in 1852, served in the Taranaki Militia, and held a land grant beside the Manganui River. He died in 1878 and is buried at Te Hēnui Cemetery.
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