Paddling near Eltham, Taranaki

Eltham sits in South Taranaki, flanked by the volcanic slopes of Maunga Taranaki and a network of rivers draining toward the coast. The Pātea River is the most accessible local paddling water, with Lake Rotorangi — formed by the Pātea Dam — providing a long, sheltered stretch of flatwater about 25 km east of town at Glen Nui Reserve. The wider Taranaki region connects paddlers to the Whanganui River, one of New Zealand's great canoe journeys, to the north-east.