Palmerston North

Palmerston North (in Maori Te Papa-i-oea) is the largest city in the region of Manawatu-Wanganui on the North Island of New Zealand. It is a city of about 75 800 inhabitants. It is the eleventh largest city, and the center of the seventh urban area. Much of its population is composed of students from Massey University, the Universal College of Learning, and the International Pacific College.

The town was first named in honor of Palmerston Henry John Temple, third Viscount Palmerston, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The North suffix was added in 1871 by mail to distinguish it from Palmerston on the South Island. The people themselves nicknamed Palmerston North “Palmy”. Transcripts of Maori’s name is Pamutana, but this version of the name is abandoned in favor of (Te) Papa-i-oea, supposed to mean “It’s so beautiful.” The town motto is “Young Heart, Easy Living.” It is called the “Rose City” due to its annual international competition of roses, “Knowledge City” (for its many academic institutions), and “Student City”.

Geography

Palmerston North covers 32,594 hectares and over one million people live within 200km. The city is located 140 north of the capital, Wellington, east of the Manawatu plains and near the north bank of the Manawatu River. It is 35km from the mouth of the river and 12km from the end of the Manawatu Gorge.

The river flows in Manawatu Palmerston North for 29.9 kilometers, and river Pohangina for 2.6 kilometers. The official borders of the city include the rural south area and north-east of the main urban area, extending to the Tararua Mountains includes the town of Ashhurst at the mouth of the Manawatu Gorge. It is a particularly fertile area. The whole city covers about 350 square kilometers.

Climate

The climate of Palmerston North is temperate, with temperatures up to 22°C in summer and 12°C in winter. The mercury rises above 25°C approximately 20 days per year. The annual precipitation is about 960mm and it rains about 5% of the time. There are on average, approximately 200 days without rain per year. In the mountains around there is a steady wind, especially in spring. Much of this area is within the city.

Mountains have almost permanent winds, several companies make pressure to install wind turbines, however some people resist, wanting to continue to have views of the wilderness. Near the town is located the largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere, with 150 turbines on the Tararua and Ruahine Mountains. It generates electricity for about 30,000 homes.

The Square

The main streets are arranged in a grid around The Square, a seven-acre park with lawns, trees, lakes, fountains and gardens, located in the center of the city. It contains a monument to the war dead, and another at Te Te Awe Awe Peet, a Maori who had greatly helped the first European settlers in the region, and a clock tower with a lighted cross which was damaged during a storm 2006.

Parks

There are several parks in the city, the most important is the Victoria Esplanade, on the north bank of the Manawatu River to the right of the Fitzherbert Avenue looking south. It includes gardens, playgrounds, aviaries, a miniature train, and paths for walking or jogging.

Discharge

In 2007 the English comedian John Cleese said that Palmerston North “… is the suicide capital of New Zealand. If you want to kill yourself but you do not have the courage to do this, I think a visit to Palmerston North will do it”. The municipality has since appointed a mound of waste 45m tall called “Mount Cleese.”

History

Ngati Rangitane is the tribe (iwi) living in the local area, they are called Te Ahu-a-Turanga. The first Europeans to explore the region was the merchant Jack Duff in 1830. He arrived on a boat and explored inland what is now Woodville. He made a report on its findings and returned to Porirua. Colonel Wakefield heard about the economic potential of Manawatu and visited the region in 1840. It was not until 1846 that Charles Hartley, another merchant, heard a clearing in the forest and discovered it which is the site of what became Palmerston North.

Exploration and Subdivision

The Government explored and created a survey of the region in 1866-1867. The original subdivision of Palmerston North in 1866 was made in the clearing of natural forest Papaioea discovered by Hartley. A small village was planned by J. T. Stewart, an employee of the Government of the Province of Wellington. The plan Stewart had was a series of broad streets and lines forming rectangles, with what became The Square in the center. Several places are named in his honor, including Palmerston Crescent and Mount Stewart near Sanson. The first four streets bounding the Square, are now called Fitzherbert Avenue, East Main Street, Main Street and West Street Rangikitei. The forest around decreased gradually as the village grew, to make room for farms. Today there remains almost no trace of the forest.

Early settlers

The first settlers were mostly Scandinavians, the most notable being former Danish Prime Minister and Bishop Ditlev Gothard Monrad.

From village to town

In 1877, during the creation of its City Council, Palmerston North was a remote village in the middle of the forest which then covered the center of the Manawatu region. It had about 800 inhabitants, mostly employed in the forestry industry. The arrival of a railway in 1886 heralded the beginning of rapid growth in the city and by 1900 it had 6,000 inhabitants and was the center of a large agricultural district. In 1930 the population reached 20,000 people and Palmerston North was officially declared a city. The development began to slow however, due to the Great Depression and World War II. An airport was built at Milson in 1936. After the war growth was rapid and the population reached 50,000 inhabitants by the mid-1970s.

Sport

Sport in the area of Palmerston North is mainly organized at regional level. The town is not big enough to have very influential teams. Players often come Area and elsewhere in the region of Manawatu-Wanganui. The rugby union team is called the Manawatu Turbos who play at FMG Stadium, as well as a women’s division. The football team is YoungHeart Manawatu. There are also teams of basketball (Manawatu Jets), cricket (Manawatu and Central Districts), hockey (Central Mavericks Central Mysticks male and female), netball (Western and Western Flyers) and handball (Massey University Handball Club).

Transportation

The state highways 56 and 57 intersect State Highway 3 near the city. State Highway 1, the main street of New Zealand, passes around 25km west of the city. There is an International Airport, Palmerston North in the suburb of Milson. The main international flights are to destinations in Australia (particularly Sydney and Brisbane). It is often used as a destination by aircraft who can not land in Wellington because of bad weather. The railway line North Island Main Trunk is joined by the line Palmerston North-Gisborne, which passes through the parade of Manawatu and Hawke’s Bay. Trains passed earlier by The Square, but were diverted to the north in 1964-1966. There are also 5 municipal bus lines and a university campus.