Tapawera is a small Kahurangi Gateway town in 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 South Island

South Island

The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...

. It is located 30 kilometres southwest of Nelson

Nelson, New Zealand

Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....

 by the banks of the Motueka River

Motueka River

The Motueka River is located in the north of the South Island of New Zealand and is a popular tourist destination for watersports and fishing. The Motueka flows from the mountains 40 km west of the city of Nelson in the southeast of the catchment and flows north to the Tasman...

. The population including the surrounding area was 405 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 21 from 2001.

It Contains a school (Tapawera Area School), local supermarket (4 Square

Four Square supermarkets

Four Square is a chain of supermarkets in New Zealand. During the 1950s the Foodstuffs advertising department designed the famous "Mr 4 Square" who initially appeared only in newspaper advertising and posters, but was developed to become part of the Four Square identity, appearing in every Four...

), a campground, a few cafes, a pet care store and a garage.

The geographic centre of New Zealand is located close to Tapawera, in the nearby Spooner Hills.