There’s a confidence, a buzz, and a palpable sense of pride about New Plymouth’s hip end of town.

I’d heard big talk about the unfolding revitalisation of the West End, best exemplified by the stainless steel showpiece, the Len Lye Centre. Like a gallery wrapped in a grand and glistening tutu, it will literally make you stop and reflect. Its curved façade is a composition of towering columns of mirror-like, marine-grade stainless steel; a spectacular and dramatic demonstration of destination architecture. It is absolutely New Pymouth’s answer to Bilbao’s Guggenheim. 

I instantly fell under its spell, making a point to marvel at its reflective majesty, morning, noon and night.  Trust me, your eyes will never tire of this mesmerising masterpiece and its shifting moods with the changing light.

Within this gleaming exterior, adjoined to the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, the Len Lye Centre is New Zealand’s first institution devoted to a single artist, showcasing his world-famous work in kinetic sculpture, photography and film. Our nation’s most prominent international artist, who died in 1980, left his life’s work to be housed in New Plymouth.

I met up with the gallery director, Simon Rees, who was positively fizzing after having just seen the latest visitor numbers.  As of January, over 83,000 people had entered the centre in its first six months, nearly matching its annual target of 90,000 visits.  Free to enter, take your time to explore the plethora of works, although the prize draw is unquestionably the Large Works Gallery, which displays the Four Fountains, vast bundles of rotating stainless-steel rods that twist, flex and shimmer.  They are wondrous and whimsical - if not a little hypnotic. Fountain IV, engineered by the Len Lye Foundation, is the new rock-star, reaching a staggering height of 8 metres.

Simon also showed me inside the Len Lye Cinema, a delightful boutique space which reflects the red and black colour scheme that was commonplace in New York arthouse cinemas, that Len loved so much.  The centre is superbly geared at young people, with purpose built art learning centres and weekly family activities, every Sunday between 1pm and 3pm. A fabulous temporary exhibition running until early April is Sister Corita’s Summer of Love. The artist nun was a strident advocate in all of the civil rights causes of the 1960s, in California, creating a profusion of colourful banners and posters. This is the first time a large-scale exhibition of her screen-print art work has been showcased in Australasia.

But as much as the gallery is the great anchor of the West End’s renewal, there’s a feast of neighbouring innovations and attractions to enjoy, accentuating the precinct into a cultural, food and entertainment hub.  Directly across the road, on the corner of Devon and Queen Street, the colonial splendour of the historic White Hart Hotel, with its wraparound wooden verandah, has been meticulously restored, now home to variety of hospitality venues and inviting shops including the interior design concept store, Plantation. Queen Street, which will soon be pedestrianised, boasts some divine cafes, including the new Monica’s Eatery, inspired by the life and spirit of the art gallery’s founding patron, Monica Brewster.  They specialise in informal Italian fare.

Also off Queen, make a date with Ozone Coffee Roasters, housed in the old Dominion Breweries factory. Locals are right to swear by their coffee – it is stupendous. Make a beeline to their on-site café, The Bean Store, adjacent to the roaster. Ozone is so popular that it has spread its wings across the other world. They have an outlet in Shoreditch, London and alongside their artisan coffee, they produce outrageously good hot chocolate. Their West Coast Cocoa range is so acclaimed, you’ll find it on the discerning pantry shelves of Harrods Department Store.  One of my favourite places for a casual lunch or dinner is Frederic’s, a spirited restaurant and bar that crowns Egmont Street, with character by the caseload.

The West End is only two blocks from the fabled Coastal Walkway, which is the place to be as the slanting light of day’s end gilds the shoreline in gold. The award-winning walking and cycling path stretches for 13km, edging the Tasman Sea, and studded with the dramatic new wave-like Te Rewa Rewa Bridge and the much-loved Wind Wand, Len Lye’s iconic breeze-bending sculpture. 

Directly across the road is Puke Ariki, Taranaki’s combined museum and library, a veritable store-house of local treasures and stories. Amongst the beautifully presented exhibits, you’ll love Puke Ariki’s quintessential Kiwiana touches in the Heritage Collection. Don’t miss the story of the Swanndri and its Taranaki roots, trademarked by a New Plymouth tailor, William Broome, as a bushman’s shirt in 1913. You can also pay your respects to Ferdinand the Bull, the long-serving rugby team mascot, clocking up 45 years, before he was honourably retired in 2002. He is now stuffed and proudly on display at Puke Ariki. 

A winning way to fully embrace the West End vibe is to be royally treated at the King and Queen Hotel Suites. The Macfarlane and Boddington families’ have been instrumental in driving many of the precinct’s developments, including this magnificent luxury boutique hotel. Opened two and half years ago, the distinctive design theme blends light industrial chic with Moroccan and European décor.  There are some extraordinary decorative touches, like the beautiful main doors that previously graced the Alexandria police station in Egypt, and the commissioned art works that liberally adorn the property.

 I stayed in one of the brand-spanking Left Wing Spa suites, which has been artfully constructed within the White Hart building.  Loaded with comforts, enjoy a  jet spa bath and spacious rain shower, tea & coffee making facilities ( freshly ground Ozone, naturally),  a super king-sized bed, flat screen LCD TV, writing desk, private minibar, iPod docking station, plus complimentary extras including daily cookies, newspaper and free WiFI. Need a workout? Dining is a cinch -   simply show your room key to charge back from eight venues, including Monica’s, Snug Lounge and Frederic’s. Some venues will also provide in room dining – just call reception to place an order from the menus provided.