Palmerston North - Manawatu- Manawatu Gorge

Palmerston North (Māori: Te Papa-i-oea) is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of 80,700.   In 2008 it was the 11th-largest city in New Zealand, and the centre of the seventh-largest urban area.  A large proportion of its population consists of students attending Massey University, Universal College of Learning (UCOL) or International Pacific College during the student year. Over half of the city's population is under the age of 33 and the city has been marketed as 'Student City'.  Palmerston North International Airport, Palmerston North Bus Depot, and Palmerston North Train Station provide travelers a variety of options to visit the Palmerston North, Manawatu Area.

Climate

Palmerston North's climate is temperate with maximum daytime temperatures averaging 22 °C (72 °F) in summer and 12 °C (54 °F) in winter. On average temperatures rise above 25 °C (77 °F) on 20 days of the year. Annual rainfall is approximately 960 mm (37.8 in) with rain occurring approximately 5% of the time. There are on average 200 rain-free days each year.

In the ranges that flank the city there is often sustained wind, especially in spring. Much of this land is within the city boundaries and these ranges has the reputation of providing the most consistent wind in the country. As a result, Palmerston North is under increasing tension between wind farm operators who want to build more renewable energy wind turbines and local residents who wish to continue to enjoy untouched scenery. Close to the city is the largest electricity-generating wind farm in the southern hemisphere, with 158 turbines in the Tararua and Ruahine Ranges providing power for approximately 30,000 homes.

Manwatu Region New Zealand

---

Manawatu is a region in the lower half of the North Island of New Zealand, around the cities of Palmerston North and Wanganui. It is administered by the Horizons Regional Council.

The region is dominated and defined by two significant river catchments, the Whanganui and the Manawatu. The Whanganui River is the longest navigable river in New Zealand. The river was extremely important to early Māori as it was the southern link in a chain of waterways that spanned almost two-thirds of the North Island. It was one of the chief areas of Māori settlement with its easily fortified cliffs and ample food supplies. Legends emphasize the importance of the river and it remains sacred to Wanganui iwi. Māori along the coast and lowland plains grew kumara and other crops.

Much of the Manawatu-Wanganui Region was fertile and bush-covered when Europeans arrived and developed the area as a source of timber. Saw milling and flax milling dominated the 19th century, followed by an influx of sheep farmers who exploited the newly-cleared ground. Deforestation, burn-offs of timber and scrub and large scale drainage combined with overgrazing, resulted in considerable environmental degradation. In the early 1900s authorities realised that careful management was needed to maintain this important agricultural area.

While the open Manawatu Plains became more densely settled by Europeans, inland Ruapehu, Rangitikei and Wanganui remained more Māori-dominated, remote and independent. As late as the 1950s the Whanganui River remained a river of mystery. Since then exploitation of the river's commercial potential has opened up the area, often causing friction with local Māori, who have long-standing grievances. The region is one of the most important pastoral areas in New Zealand, its status recognised when the government opened the Massey Agricultural College in the 1920s.