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Historic farmhouses, churches and relics are scattered throughout this countryside, but many of the region's treasures lie within small museums that the local communities have carefully tended over the years.
The Whanganui, Manawatu and Rangitikei rivers flowing from the central North Island to the coast between Wanganui and Wellington, have played an important part in the development of the lower part of the North Island. In pre European times when the coastal lowlands were covered in dense forests and swamplands, these long waterways were the easiest and most direct route inland for the early Maori. Later after European settlers had arrived, the Whanganui River carried steamers north to Taumarunui. The Main Trunk Railway Line was built following the course of the Rangitikei River, while a road and rail route was also developed along the Manawatu River between the Tararua and Ruahine mountain ranges through into the Wairarapa. The landscape sweeps dramatically from the forest clad Ruahine and Tararua mountain ranges, through the rugged Manawatu Gorge and the beautiful Pohangina Valley, along Manawatu River and across the coastal plains of Tangimoana and Himatangi. The region enjoys a mild climate, providing ideal growing conditions for the many world class public and private gardens.
Virginia Lake in Wanganui is surrounded by enchanting gardens and picnic spots.
1wanganui
The trip starts from Wanganui on SH3.
Founded in 1841 by the New Zealand Company, Wanganui is one of the oldest cities in the country. The original site of the city is now the location of the historic Moutoa Gardens which contain mature native and exotic trees as well as a number of memorials. The District Court House looks out across these peaceful gardens which were occupied for over two months as part of a protest by River Maori in 1995. They still meet here annually on the anniversary of the protest in February. There are excellent views across the city from the hill in Queens Park in the heart of the city. There was once a fortified Maori pa and later became the site of the Rutland Stockade which was built by the British colonial forces. Wanganui was still a frontier town during the New Zealand Wars, relics from which can be seen in the Whanganui Regional Museum in Queens Park. Major Kemp's sword and Te Kooti's battle flag are on display along with the canoe, Te-Mata-o-Hoturoa which dates back to 1810 and may have seen battle when Te Rauparaha's fortress at Kapiti Island was attacked in 1829. The museum also features a fascinating recreation of an early Wanganui shopping street. Also located in Queens Park, the Sarjeant Gallery houses a fine collection of New Zealand art, the images captured in these nineteenth century paintings providing vivid images from the colonial period of New Zealand's history. Virginia Lake, 1.5 km north of the city on Great North Road, features a 25 minute woodland walk around the edge of the lake.
historic buildings in wanganui
Wanganui has a number of interesting historic buildings. One of the oldest is Tylee Cottage, in Queens Park, which was built in 1853 for the Commissariat of the British troops stationed in Wanganui. Established in 1854, the old buildings at the Wanganui Collegiate School on Liverpool Street include the headmaster's house and the Big School both dating back to 1911 as well as a pavilion, all of which are part of a precinct of historic interest registered by the Historic Places Trust. Peter Snell, the future Olympic gold medalist, recorded a world-record time running the mile in front of a huge crowd on the grass track at Cook’s Gardens in Wanganui in 1962. The wooden bell tower at Cooks Gardens was originally built as a fire lookout tower in 1891 on the site of the York Stockade, one of the cities early defensive positions. The tower houses the original Sheffield bell that dates back to 1874 along with the four bells and chiming mechanism relocated from an early 1930s post office clock tower. Next to Cooks Gardens is the wooden Opera House which was opened in 1899 and is among the finest buildings in the city. Provides excellent views across the city and the Whanganui River. For some excellent views across the city and the Whanganui River you can take a look out from the top of the 33 m high Durie Hill Memorial Tower, which was built from fossilized shell rock. Across the river almost opposite the Wanganui City Bridge, an elevator, built in 1919, rises 66 m to the tower from a 213 m access tunnel at the base of the hill.
riverboats
In 1886 Alexander Hatrick began the first commercial riverboat service on the Whanganui, his company extending the service north to Taumarunui by 1903 using 100 foot long, shallow draft steamers which had to be winched up the rapids using steel cables. The route was pioneered in 1901 by the launch Waiiti which was later replaced by the 20 m riverboat Ongarue. Shipped out from London in 1903, the Ongarue was assembled in Wanganui and operated on the river until 1959 and is now on display at Pipiriki. Today you can travel the lower parts of the river from Wanganui city on the historic paddle steamer Waimarie. She sank at her moorings and remained under water for 40 years before being recovered in 1993 and restored to take passengers upstream again on New Year's Eve 1999. From Pipiriki on the Whanganui River road to the north, you can take a jetboat tour even further up the river to the Bridge to Nowhere. The bridge was built in 1936 as part of a road between Raetihi and Taranaki that was never competed. By 1944 the soldiers that had returned from the First World War and settled in the Mangapurua and Kaiwhakauka valleys had all gone and only the bridge remained.
An old parish church overlooking Turakina
2putuki
From central Wanganui head east on Carlton Ave and SH3 and immediately after crossing the Cobham Bridge turn left into Anaua Street and travel 1 km north to Putiki.
Conditions were hard for many Maori during the early 1900s. Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana, was a Maori farmer with a gift for faith healing. In 1918 he had a vision of a better way of life for his people and by 1925 he had founded the Ratana Church. The teachings of this charismatic leader were basically Christian, and his followers were mainly Maori, the Ratana faith later developing into a powerful political movement with several of its members holding influential seats in Parliament. Featuring striking decor and symbolism, the style of the Ratana Temple is unique, with its twin towers representing Alpha and Omega, the two sons of Ratana. Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana died in 1939, and is buried along with his wife in front of the temple.
Twin-towered temple in the centre of the unique community at Ratana
3ratana
Return to SH3, turn right and drive southeast 16 km then turn right onto Ratana Road and south 2 km to Ratana. The temple is on the left.
Conditions were hard for many Maori during the early 1900s. Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana, was a Maori farmer with a gift for faith healing. In 1918 he had a vision of a better way of life for his people and by 1925 he had founded the Ratana Church. The teachings of this charismatic leader were basically Christian, and his followers were mainly Maori, the Ratana faith later developing into a powerful political movement with several of its members holding influential seats in Parliament. Featuring striking decor and symbolism, the style of the Ratana Temple is unique, with its twin towers representing Alpha and Omega, the two sons of Ratana. Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana died in 1939, and is buried along with his wife in front of the temple.
4feilding
Return to SH3 and drive southeast 25 km to Bulls via Turakina, the first European township to be established between Wanganui and Wellington. From Bulls continue south 6.4 km on SH1 and SH3 to Sanson, continue 10 km on SH3 to Awahuri, turn left and head northeast 6.3 km on Awahuri Fielding Road to Feilding.
Fielding was named after Colonel William Feilding, who purchased land in the district in the 1870s on behalf of the Emigrants' and Colonists' Aid Corporation. Their patron was the Duke of Manchester and the layout of the town featuring two central squares, was subsequently modelled on the city of Manchester. In Goodbehere and Beattie Streets you will find a number of the original settlers' cottages still surviving in this busy country town. St John's Church also dates back to colonial times and in the town centre there are numerous restored commercial buildings from the turn of the century which give Fielding an Edwardian air of elegance. You can take a tour of the saleyards where the weekly stock sales are held and on Fridays or visit the Feilding Farmers’ Market held next to the main shopping centre. A lookout on Highfield Road provides fine views across the town and the plains beyond. There is also an attractive garden with caged birds and a lake at Kowhai Park, on South Street.
stock auctions
The excitement and atmosphere of a real stock auction is just one of the things you can experience in many of New Zealand’s rural towns. Stock auctions are one of New Zealand's oldest traditions, dating back to the early 1880s. Unless you are with one of the local farmers however, it pays to make sure that you don’t inadvertently catch the auctioneer’s attention by scratching your nose or raising your eyebrows, otherwise you could end up owning a few sheep or some cows. If you really want to get a taste of country life, try one of the many farm stays in the area and get to know some real third or fourth generation farmers with a passion for farming and the land.
museums in the manawatu
Feilding is a town that has become well known for its vintage vehicle and antique collectors, with numerous private museums in the area and a wealth of historic collections that reflecting the rich rural heritage of the region. The Coach House Horse Drawn Era Museum, at 40 Bowen Street, contains a number of restored carriages and vehicles including the Feilding Stage Coach and a distinctive red leather upholstered Ladies Phaeton. The museum focuses on the horse drawn era, providing an insight into the transport used by the early pioneers who settled in the Manawatu. Visitors to the Mount Biggs Vintage Machinery on James Road, Halcombe will see restoration work taking place on a number of vintage items including some large traction engines. The Steam Traction Society on Lethbridge Road, opposite the Feilding Cemetery, has the largest collection of steam traction engines in the Southern Hemisphere, including several working engines. Thomson's Motor Cycle Collection on Rongotea Road features a collection that started out in the mid 1940s and has grown to over 300 motor cycles dating from the late 1890s to the present day. There are over 100 machines on display along with a range of memorabilia along with an extensive archive of books, magazines, brochures, manuals, catalogues, movies and photos. There is also a large collection of tin plate and die cast toys from the 1950s and early 1960s. Also on Rongotea Road, Colyton Clocks Museum features an extensive collection of clocks, watches and timepieces. Homeprint at 11 Sandilands Street is a working letterpress museum with one of the biggest heritage collections of printing supplies and presses in the country. Green Gables Cars on Green Road, Awahuri features a collection of early Daimlers, Rolls Royces and other vehicles while the
Maewa Austin Mews, Dykes Classic and Vintage Car collection has over 60 Austins on display. If you want to see both steam and diesel powered locomotives in operation, Feilding Steam Rail has restored a number of locomotives and wagons that were once used on New Zealand's national rail network, including F 163, the only F class locomotive still in mainline running condition. There is an immaculate WAB class tank locomotive along with a large mainline diesel locomotive, DA 1401, some small shunting engines and a varied collection of rolling stock including both passenger and freight wagons. The society's depot features the original turntable from Palmerston in north Otago, as well as the Taonui station building from Feilding. Feilding Steam Rail operates regular excursions from Feilding to Wanganui, Ohakune, Dannevirke, and Pahiatua.
5palmerston north
From Feilding drive southeast 2.8 km on SH54 and turn right onto Camerons Line Road to stay on SH54. Continue southwest 10.7 km on SH54 and turn left onto SH3 and travel 4 km southeast to Palmerston North.
Known as Palmy to the locals, Palmerston North is one of New Zealand’s largest provincial cities. Many of the original stores built in the 1920s and 1930s in the town centre have been restored and are now is use as boutiques, cafés and restaurants. The city features four large areas of parkland which combined with the landscaped grounds of Massey University established in 1928 and the spring blossoms on Cherry Drive have made this on of the most attractive garden cities in the country. Palmerston North’s rose gardens and museums are definitely worth visiting, in particular the Dugald McKenzie rose breeding centre and the Te Manawa gallery, which is a museum complex and interactive science centre. Totaranui, a house dating back to about 1874, is the oldest surviving building in the city and can be viewed along with an impressive display of historical material at the Manawatu Museum on Main Street. The house has been fully furnished to provide visitors with a picture of how middle class families lived in the early 1900s. There is also a reconstruction of a general store and a smithy as well as relocated historic country school house. The Maori galleries feature beautifully displayed carvings and exhibits from the Manawatu, Rangitikei and Horowhenua areas. You can also visit the Palmerston North Art Gallery on Main Street West which exhibits mainly New Zealand artists, while the Rugby Museum on Cuba Street houses what is probably the most comprehensive collection of rugby relics and memorabilia in the world. A photo library provides rare and detailed coverage of major matches and there are also recent videos. Caccia Birch House at 130 Te Awe Awe Street is a magnificent homestead dating back to 1895. Featuring intricate rimu panelling and beautifully decorated rooms, the house is located at the end of a long tree lined driveway with beautiful gardens overlooking the Hokowhitu Lagoon.
tokomaru steam engine museum
To find the Tokomaru Steam Engine Museum, drive southeast on Fitzgerbert Ave 2 km onto Tennent Drive and SH57 through the Massey University grounds and head south 18 km to Tokomaru. The entrance to the museum is just south of Tokomaru School.
Featuring traction engines and stationary engines, the Museum has a patent slip engine once used to haul ships up onto a slipway. Possibly the oldest surviving engine in the country, the engine was built in 1869 and began operation on the slipway in 1873. A boiler house which produced steam to drive twin coupled 25hp engines housed in a brick engine house at the head of the track. The engines drove a winch through seven gear wheels pulling two 70 ton chains, hauling a 250 ton cradle that carried the vessels out of the water. The museum also has a working railway with its own steam locomotives, an open wagon carriage and guards van operating on an oval section of line on Sundays. The Tokomaru railway station at the museum dates back to 1886.