Palmerston North
Manawatu’s largest city, Palmerston North lies next to the Manawatu River and close to the Ruahine and Tararua mountain ranges. It is a garden city, with many trees, gardens and ponds within. Full of people with a ‘can do’ attitude, Palmerston North has long been a representation of the...
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Ashhurst
Ashhurst is a small country town of about 3500 people. The people of Ashhurst enjoy a quiet and peaceful lifestyle, friendly neighbours, and beautiful scenery of the Ruahine Ranges and surrounding countryside. Ashhurst is the gateway to the Pohangina Valley, and also the East Coast being situated very close to...
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Rewa
Rewa is a small piece of country heaven located in northern Manawatu, next to the Rangitikei River. Rewa was previously a supply centre for the then isolated rural industry and an important timber milling centre. Now what we see are the characterful buildings of the old centre, the store (now...
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Kimbolton
Kimbolton is a small and friendly rural township north of Feilding and Cheltenham, set atop beautiful rural hills with sweeping views of the Ruahine mountain range. The township has a quiet but welcoming feel. Sport is an important part of the community, with a bowling club, and a large and...
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Apiti
Introduction. Apiti is a small rural township in northern Manawatu, with a small population of friendly people who revel in the natural and quiet surroundings. Apiti is the gateway to the Ruahine Ranges, a key natural asset of the Manawatu. The township is well known for its hospitality and the...
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Waituna West
Waituna West is a small rural community north of Feilding en route to State Highway 1. With a small country school, a hall and a healthy spirited group of local residents, Waituna West is a vibrant rural community.
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Tangimoana
Manawatu is blessed with a wide range of landscapes, including excellent beaches to fish, swim and explore. Tangimoana is one of the Manawatu seaside settlements. It is a small village set in the sand dune landscape of the area, very close to the sea itself and the mouth of the...
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Rongotea
Rongotea is a small, close-knit, rural township located 25 kms Southwest from Palmerston North with a population of 635 residents that really enjoy the friendly rural atmosphere. Rongotea School boasts over 200 pupils up to year eight and Te Kawau playcentre provides learning and fun for our little ones. Many...
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Rangiwahia
Rangiwahia is a rural township and district in the far north of Manawatu. Dairy, sheep and cattle farms dominate the surrounding land, and the Ruahines form a wonderful backdrop on a winter’s day when snow caps the mountains. Picturesque stands of native bush feature across the landscape, giving the impression...
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Pohangina
Originally clothed in dense forest, the European settlers of the late 19th century quickly cleared the forest, exposing river terraces, rolling foothills and dissected hill country to erosion. Good management and farming practise re-clothed the land in pasture, combining with remnant forest pockets, all back-dropped by the Ruahine Ranges to...
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Bunnythorpe
Almost equidistant from Feilding and Palmerston North, Bunnythorpe enjoys a location convenient to many places in central and eastern Manawatu. Bunnythorpe is a small industrial centre, with a key electricity sub station and smaller factories. The school is a centre of activity, and the town has an active sporting community...
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Feilding
A multi award winner of the New Zealand’s Most Beautiful Town, Feilding can only be a picture perfect place. Feilding is blessed with many parks, open spaces, gardens, wide streets and historic buildings. With a population of approximately 14 000 people, the town is not at all big, but not...
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Kiwitea
Another of Manawatu’s very picturesque rural townships. Kiwitea is just north of Cheltenham, en route to Kimbolton and Apiti. It is a small settlement, with points of historical interest and beautiful surroundings. A light coloured kiwi gave its name to this area of Manawatu. Although the motorist driving up Kimbolton...
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Cheltenham
The small township of Cheltenham and the surrounding countryside is very beautiful, with hills and plains coming together to form a fertile rural area. Cheltenham marks a key route intersection, with travellers heading north taking either the ‘Vinegar Hill’ route to state highway 1 or the Kimbolton Rd which leads...
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Himatangi Beach
Himatangi Beach has something for everyone! It offers a long sandy beach with the largest sand dunes in New Zealand and the most amazing sunsets. There’s plenty of room for families to have fun with fishing, volley ball or a quiet stroll on the beach. Himatangi Beach has its own...
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Linton
From state highway 57 there seems to be little to Linton, but in fact it’s a significant urban area with many residents enjoying the spacious and quiet living. And of course it is home to the Linton Army Camp, New Zealand’s biggest army camp.
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Aokautere
People living in Aokautere enjoy a scenic little valley and a strong community spirit. Located on the other side of the Manawatu River from Palmerston North, Aokautere offers country living and a close proximity to the hustle and bustle of the largest city in Manawatu. It is a complete community...
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Sanson
Many a traveller has refuelled and refreshed in Sanson. It’s an interesting small town of about 500 people, featuring many craft shops, cafes and eateries, and antique shops. In 1868 a group of men got together in the Hutt Valley, near Wellington.
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Halcombe
A prominent feature of Halcombe is its war memorial right in the middle of town. Around this lies a small district of about 500 people, mainly involved in the agricultural sector. The township lies in a slight valley, allowing expansive views across the buildings of the centre from both sides...
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Colyton
On a fine spring day there is no finer place to be in Manawatu than Colyton. The views across rolling pastureland toward the Ruahine mountain range are postcard perfect scenes of rural New Zealand. The small township is like many in the Manawatu, once a busy service centre but now a...
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Awahuri
In between Palmerston North and Sanson is Awahuri, a very small junction settlement marked by the very visible, red Awahuri Tavern. Ngati Kauwhata Maori had a large settlement at Awahuri when the first Europeans began visiting Manawatu. These people did not want to sell their land and its ownership was...
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Kairanga
Close to Palmerston North, enroute to Rongotea is the junction settlement of Kairanga, which includes a strong community, large country school, community hall and the quaint St Lukes church. Te Kairanga (meaning the place where muchfood is gathered) was a major Rangitane village situated beside the Manawatu River, on land...
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Longburn
Driving through Longburn, one doesn’t quite get the scale of the Longburn. From state highway 56 Longburn just seems like another township. On the west side of the town however, large factory buildings tell a different story. Longburn is a very busy satellite town of Palmerston North, home to large...
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History of Manawatu
People of many cultures have played a part in weaving the rich history of Manawatu. The first people to live here were Maori. Their traditional stories tell of the shaping of the hills and plains and the journeys of the first explorers who named the land they found.
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