Shannon is a small town in the Horowhenua District

Horowhenua District

Horowhenua is a district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It forms part of the Manawatu-Wanganui Region.Located north of Wellington and Kapiti, the district stretches from slightly north of the town of Otaki in the south to just south of Himatangi in the north, and from the...

 of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

's North Island

North Island

The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...

. it is located 28 kilometres southwest of Palmerston North

Palmerston North

Palmerston North 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 and is the country's seventh largest city and eighth largest urban area. Palmerston North is located in the eastern Manawatu Plains near the north bank...

 and 15 kilometres northeast of Levin

Levin, New Zealand

Levin is a town in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of New Zealand, and is the largest town in the Horowhenua district. It is 90 kilometres north of Wellington, 50 kilometres south of Palmerston North, and two kilometres to the east of Lake Horowhenua....

. The town's population at the 2006 census was 1506.

The main activities in the district are dairy, sheep, and mixed farm. Mangaore (5 kilometres east) is the residential township for the nearby Mangahao hydro-electric power station

Mangahao Power Station

Mangahao Power Station is a hydroelectric power station near the town of Shannon, New Zealand. It was opened in 1924 and is now operated by Todd Energy.It is one of the oldest large power stations in New Zealand.-References:*...

, which is the second oldest in New Zealand. The Manawatu River

Manawatu River

The Manawatu River is a major river of the southern North Island of New Zealand.The river has its headwaters to the northwest of Norsewood in the Ruahine Ranges of southern Hawke's Bay. It flows initially eastward before turning south-west near Ormondville, flowing 40 km before turning...

 lies to the west of the town.

Shannon originally adjoined extensive swamps and was a headquarters for flax

New Zealand flax

New Zealand flax describes common New Zealand perennial plants Phormium tenax and Phormium cookianum, known by the Māori names harakeke and wharariki respectively...

 milling. The land on which the township later stood was part of an endowment of 215000 acres (870.1 km²) acquired about 1881 by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company (WMR). At first the company had intended to extend its railway from Levin to Foxton, but afterwards it proceeded to develop and open up the endowment area. Accordingly, the line was laid along the present route via Shannon. The town is considered to have been founded on 8 March 1887 when the first auction of town land was held. Shannon was named after George Vance Shannon (1842 - 1920), a director of the WMR. It was constituted a borough in 1917.

Shannon Railway Station

Shannon Railway Station

Shannon Railway Station is a station on the North Island Main Trunk serving Shannon in the Horowhenua District of New Zealand. It is served by the Capital Connection long distance commuter train between Wellington and Palmerston North.- History:...

 is the most substantial of only a few remaining physical relics of the WMR, which was acquired by the national New Zealand Railways Department

New Zealand Railways Department

The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway system. The Department was created in 1880 and was reformed in 1981 into the New...

 in 1908. The station is a stop for the Capital Connection long distance commuter train between Wellington and Palmerston North.

Today Shannon sits as a passing through point between Palmerston North and Wellington with two cafes, a dairy, an RD1, two pubs, 2 fish and chips shops, a primary school, a four square, a petrol station, and an art gallery. The township also has a strong rugby team and several netball teams.

A large percentage of the population is Māori with the local primary school being somewhat Māori-orientated. Shannon School is a full Decile 1 primary school (years 1-8) with roughly 190 students.

The town also used to house Helenstown, a large model town with miniature versions of many New Zealand landmarks, a working train and carnival, all hand made. The building is currently closed.