Last updated October 2026
Hurworth is a rural locality in the New Plymouth District, set on Carrington Road south of the city. European settlers gave it an English village name when they cleared bush here for a small farming community. Today the area is mostly farmland and lifestyle properties, with one cottage from that first settlement still standing.
Visitors come mainly for Hurworth Cottage, a Category 1 historic place, and for the open outlook toward Mount Taranaki. There is no town centre: shops, schools and most services are in New Plymouth. The locality is open countryside, reached by road rather than lived in as a built-up suburb.
Practical Information
- Getting there
- Carrington Road, south from New Plymouth. Access is by private vehicle. No regular public bus into the locality was confirmed.
- Nearby landmarks
- Hurworth Cottage, 906 Carrington Road; Pouakai Zoo, 1306 Carrington Road
About Hurworth
Hurworth lies on Carrington Road on the inland side of New Plymouth, with farmland, shelter belts and lifestyle properties rather than a village street. The name is English. Heritage New Zealand records that the first European settlers called their community Hurworth after the English birthplace of Arthur Atkinson.
In the nineteenth century a group of related settler families, including the Atkinson, Richmond and Hursthouse households, bought blocks along Carrington Road and cleared bush for houses and farms. They built a short dirt road to link their properties with the route into New Plymouth.
The farms produced cheese, butter, pork, bacon, sausages, vegetables and eggs, sold at a store in town. That life ended when the Taranaki War began in March 1860 and the families left for New Plymouth.
The only building left from that first settlement is Hurworth Cottage at 906 Carrington Road. Harry Atkinson, later a four-time Premier of New Zealand, hand-built it in 1855-56 from pit-sawn timber. It is a Category 1 historic place on the Heritage New Zealand list and the main reason most visitors stop here. After the war the land returned to farming, and the locality has stayed rural.
Day to day, Hurworth is a place people drive through or live in for space and mountain views, not a service town. There is no shopping strip and no school in the locality.
New Plymouth, a short drive north on Carrington Road, is where residents go for shops, work and most services. Pouakai Zoo, a private zoo further along the same road, is the other named stop.
History and Heritage
Harry Atkinson arrived in the New Plymouth area in 1852-53 with his brother Arthur and members of the Richmond and Hursthouse families, a group known as the Mob. The Atkinson brothers each took a 200-acre block on Carrington Road.
Harry’s cottage, also called Hurworth, was the first sawn-timber house in the settlement. It had a stone chimney and a steep shingled gable, with an upper level reached by a ladder. He and his wife Amelia Jane Skinner settled there in 1856, with gardens, an orchard, beehives, a cow shed and a dairy.
When war broke out in March 1860 the families abandoned the homesteads. Harry sent Jane and the children to Whanganui and joined the Taranaki Rifle Volunteers. On a later visit he found the settlement largely destroyed.
Only two cottages still stood: his own, where furniture piled in the kitchen had been set alight but the fire had not taken, and James Richmond’s. Richmond’s cottage burned in 1865, leaving Hurworth as the sole survivor of the settlement.
Atkinson repaired and extended the house over later decades while his political career took him to Wellington. He was Premier four times between 1876 and 1891, received a knighthood in 1888, and died in 1892. Later owners farmed the property until the 1960s. Robert and Francis Brown offered the house to the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.
Additions were removed and the cottage was restored toward its 1856 form. Restoration uncovered boarded-up French doors, builder’s marks on the timber, and graffiti from the war period.
Prime Minister Robert Muldoon opened it to the public in 1976. The rooms hold Atkinson family pieces, including his parliamentary desk, and a pounamu mere believed to have been carved by imprisoned activists from Parihaka.
Visiting Hurworth Cottage
Hurworth Cottage is a small timber house in a garden at 906 Carrington Road, New Plymouth 4371. Heritage New Zealand lists visits as open by arrangement, so book before you travel.
The contact details published for the property are phone +64 6 759 2006 and email hu******@**********rg.nz. A picnic on the verandah or in the garden is part of the advertised visit.
The cottage is not wheelchair accessible. Hosts can share the history from the verandah. The upstairs mezzanine is reached by a steep staircase with a limited handrail, so it will not suit every visitor. Allow time for the drive out and back: this is a rural stop, not a city-centre museum.
Getting Around
Carrington Road is the way in and the way through. Hurworth Cottage is at number 906 and Pouakai Zoo at number 1306, so both sit on the same rural road south of the city. A private vehicle is the practical way to get here. No regular public bus into the locality was confirmed in council or regional transport information.
Pouakai Zoo is a privately owned zoo in a rural setting, with exotic animals and farm animals that visitors can hand-feed. Citizens Advice Bureau lists it as open Wednesday to Sunday, and every day in school holidays and on public holidays, weather permitting.
Opening days can change, so check before you travel. There is no local shop, cafe strip or community hall confirmed in the locality itself. Fuel, groceries and other errands mean a trip into New Plymouth.
Where to Learn More
Heritage New Zealand: Hurworth: Category 1 listing for the cottage, with the settlement history and why the building matters.
Heritage New Zealand: Visit Hurworth Cottage: Address, appointment visiting, access limits and contact details.
Hurworth, New Zealand on Wikipedia: Short overview of the locality, its origins and links to further sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hurworth part of New Plymouth?
Yes. It is a rural locality in the New Plymouth District, south of the city on Carrington Road. It is countryside, not a city suburb with its own shops and services.
How do I get to Hurworth?
Drive south from New Plymouth on Carrington Road. Hurworth Cottage is at 906 Carrington Road and Pouakai Zoo is further along at 1306 Carrington Road. No regular public bus into the locality was confirmed.
Can I visit Hurworth Cottage without booking?
Heritage New Zealand lists the cottage as open by arrangement, so book ahead. The published contacts are phone +64 6 759 2006 and email hu******@**********rg.nz.
Is Hurworth Cottage wheelchair accessible?
No. Heritage New Zealand states there is no wheelchair access. Hosts can share the history from the verandah. The upstairs mezzanine is reached by a steep staircase.
Are there schools in Hurworth?
No school is based in the locality. Children attend schools in New Plymouth and surrounding communities.
Where do residents shop?
There is no shopping centre in Hurworth. Everyday shopping is in New Plymouth.
What is Pouakai Zoo?
It is a privately owned zoo at 1306 Carrington Road, Hurworth, with exotic animals and farm animals. Citizens Advice Bureau lists Wednesday to Sunday opening, plus every day in school holidays and on public holidays, weather permitting. Check before you travel.
Why is the place called Hurworth?
Heritage New Zealand records that the nineteenth-century settlers named the community after the English birthplace of Arthur Atkinson. Harry Atkinson gave the same name to the cottage he built as a family home.
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