Woodville, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Woodville is a small town in the southern North Island
of New Zealand
, 75 km north of Masterton
and 25 km east of Palmerston North
. In the 2006 census 1,398 people are usually resident in Woodville, a decrease of 81 people, or 5.5%, since the 2001 Census.
to the other. The local iwi were Rangitane, and maintained strong and positive relations with other tribes for the most part.
One interesting local landmark is Whariti, one of the main peaks in the Ruahine Ranges near Woodville. The name appears to be a corruption of the original name Wharetiti (Whare – house, titi – muttonbird (the Sooty Shearwater)). According to an interview on Radio Woodville in 2009, the peak of 920 m (2950 ft) gained its name when migrating muttonbird nested on top of the ridges of the Ruahine mountain range. They arrived at Wharetiti from Bear Island, Waimarama and continued northwards to Tongariro. Local Maori would construct temporary housing when the Titi began to arrive and harvest the birds from their burrows, preserving them inside pouches made from bull kelp which they carried up from the coast. It is some years since muttonbirds were last seen on this part of the Ruahine Mountains.
The town is in the Tararua District and the Manawatu-Wanganui
region, although it has strong ties with the Hawke's Bay region, of which it was once a part, but is often considered to be the northern boundary of Wairarapa
. It is within the catchment area of the Manawatu River
.
provides the easiest access between the east and west coasts of the southern North Island, and is a major transportation link.
and State Highway 3
run through opposite sides of the Manawatu Gorge, and the latter has its junction with State Highway 2 at Woodville. At Woodville Railway Station, the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line
meets the Wairarapa Line
and a balloon loop
permits through running via the Wairarapa
to Wellington.
Due to low freight levels, the northern portion of the Wairarapa line is currently under review as part of KiwiRail's turnaround plan. In some weeks there is only a single train on the line, running from Wellington to Napier. The use of the railway by Fonterra
for bulk milk haulage from Oringi means the Hawke's Bay
line is sufficiently busy.
As farmland was settled and cleared, a number of small dairy factories were established to process the supply of milk for consumption as milk, cheese or other dairy products. As recently as the mid-1980s the dairy factory at the western end of Woodville, on State Highway 2 heading towards the Manawatu Gorge, operated a cheese processing line and a 'factory shop' selling dairy produce direct to the public. A thriving sheep and beef economy at one stage supported a number of local trucking firms and carriers, among them Gunn Transport and Hawkes Bay Farmers Transport, both of which were based at the now-derelict site at the corner of State Highway 2/Vogel Street and the Wairarapa bypass. These business were only economic in the pre-deregulated transport industry that existed prior to the Rogernomics reforms of the Lange Labour Government elected in 1984. With the lifting of distance restrictions (vehicles over a certain weight were at one stage restricted to travelling only 150 km from their geographic base) Woodville's role as a transport hub quickly fell away.
In addition, the local community sustained a supermarket (closed in the 1980s,) a Feltex fabrication factory - built in the mid-1970s and closed by the mid-1980s - at least four or five service station or garage outlets of which only one remains on the west side of the township (Known as Caltex Woodville), and a significant railway presence. The advent of the Oringi Meatworks in 1980-81 was a boost to Woodville's economy as a consequence of significant wage inflows from Woodville people working at Oringi. Oringi's plant closed in 2008.
Very little light industry has survived into the 21st century, and the local agricultural community is supported from Palmerston North, Pahiatua or Dannevirke. Milk from farms in the Woodville district is now transported by rail from the Oringi Milk Transfer Station to Hawera for processing. There has been a boost to the local economy with the construction and maintenance of the Te Apiti Wind Farm on the ridges above the town.
Woodville continues to host a successful horse-racing, rearing and training industry, based at the Woodville & Pahiatua Jockey Club's track on the north-east of the town.
, a celebration of New Zealand music growing to be the largest celebration of NZ music during the 1990s.
Artist Gottfried Lindauer
is buried in the Old Gorge cemetery.
in the area near Woodville are well-known for being subject to high winds regularly. Following detailed assessment and testing in the early 1990s, the decision was made by newly-privatised electricity generation companies to site two large farms on the ridge-lines. As at early 2010, as many 50 wind turbines, over 40 m in height, dot the Tararua and Ruahine mountain ranges. Woodville now uses this fact as part of it promotion. However many people consider the windmills to be an eyesore and believe they are detrimental to the environmental landscape, seen as far away as Palmerston North.
, based in Dublin.
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...
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...
, 75 km north of Masterton
Masterton
Masterton is a large town and local government district in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a region separated from Wellington by the Rimutaka ranges...
and 25 km east 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...
. In the 2006 census 1,398 people are usually resident in Woodville, a decrease of 81 people, or 5.5%, since the 2001 Census.
Early History and Local Government
It appears that Woodville was a traveller's rest spot in Maori history. It was also a place to rest for hunters as they walked from one side of the Manawatu GorgeManawatu Gorge
The Manawatu Gorge runs between the Ruahine and Tararua Ranges of the North Island of New Zealand, linking the Manawatu and Hawke's Bay regions...
to the other. The local iwi were Rangitane, and maintained strong and positive relations with other tribes for the most part.
One interesting local landmark is Whariti, one of the main peaks in the Ruahine Ranges near Woodville. The name appears to be a corruption of the original name Wharetiti (Whare – house, titi – muttonbird (the Sooty Shearwater)). According to an interview on Radio Woodville in 2009, the peak of 920 m (2950 ft) gained its name when migrating muttonbird nested on top of the ridges of the Ruahine mountain range. They arrived at Wharetiti from Bear Island, Waimarama and continued northwards to Tongariro. Local Maori would construct temporary housing when the Titi began to arrive and harvest the birds from their burrows, preserving them inside pouches made from bull kelp which they carried up from the coast. It is some years since muttonbirds were last seen on this part of the Ruahine Mountains.
The town is in the Tararua District and the Manawatu-Wanganui
Manawatu-Wanganui
Manawatu-Wanganui is a region in the lower half of the North Island of New Zealand, around the cities of Palmerston North and Whanganui. It is administered by the Horizons Regional Council.-Administration:...
region, although it has strong ties with the Hawke's Bay region, of which it was once a part, but is often considered to be the northern boundary of Wairarapa
Wairarapa
Wairarapa is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service towns, with Masterton being the largest...
. It is within the catchment area of 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...
.
Geography
Woodville is at the northern end of the Tararua Ranges, close to the gap between them and the Ruahine Ranges formed by the Manawatu River. The Manawatu GorgeManawatu Gorge
The Manawatu Gorge runs between the Ruahine and Tararua Ranges of the North Island of New Zealand, linking the Manawatu and Hawke's Bay regions...
provides the easiest access between the east and west coasts of the southern North Island, and is a major transportation link.
Transport
The Palmerston North - Gisborne railway linePalmerston North - Gisborne Line
The Palmerston North – Gisborne Line is a secondary main line railway in the North Island of New Zealand. It branches from the North Island Main Trunk Railway in Palmerston North and runs east through the Manawatu Gorge to Woodville, where it meets the Wairarapa Line, and then proceeds to...
and State Highway 3
New Zealand State Highway network
The New Zealand State Highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. Just under 100 roads in both the North and South Islands are State Highways...
run through opposite sides of the Manawatu Gorge, and the latter has its junction with State Highway 2 at Woodville. At Woodville Railway Station, the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line
Palmerston North - Gisborne Line
The Palmerston North – Gisborne Line is a secondary main line railway in the North Island of New Zealand. It branches from the North Island Main Trunk Railway in Palmerston North and runs east through the Manawatu Gorge to Woodville, where it meets the Wairarapa Line, and then proceeds to...
meets the Wairarapa Line
Wairarapa Line
The Wairarapa Line is a secondary railway line in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city of Wellington with the Wairarapa region. The line ends at Woodville, where it joins the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line...
and a balloon loop
Balloon loop
A balloon loop or turning loop allows a rail vehicle or train to reverse direction without having to shunt or even stop. Balloon loops can be useful for passenger trains and unit freight trains, such as coal trains....
permits through running via the Wairarapa
Wairarapa
Wairarapa is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service towns, with Masterton being the largest...
to Wellington.
Due to low freight levels, the northern portion of the Wairarapa line is currently under review as part of KiwiRail's turnaround plan. In some weeks there is only a single train on the line, running from Wellington to Napier. The use of the railway by Fonterra
Fonterra
Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited is a New Zealand multinational dairy co-operative owned by almost 10,500 New Zealand farmers. The company is responsible for approximately 30% of the world's dairy exports and with revenue exceeding NZ$19.87 billion, is New Zealand's largest company.- History :In...
for bulk milk haulage from Oringi means the Hawke's Bay
Hawke's Bay
Hawke's Bay is a region of New Zealand. Hawke's Bay is recognised on the world stage for its award-winning wines. The regional council sits in both the cities of Napier and Hastings.-Geography:...
line is sufficiently busy.
Industry
Woodville's place in European migration history was established when it became the third of three sizeable timber milling towns in the 'Seventy Mile Bush' which extended along the eastern side of the Tararua and Ruahine Ranges. The others were Dannevirke and Pahiatua.As farmland was settled and cleared, a number of small dairy factories were established to process the supply of milk for consumption as milk, cheese or other dairy products. As recently as the mid-1980s the dairy factory at the western end of Woodville, on State Highway 2 heading towards the Manawatu Gorge, operated a cheese processing line and a 'factory shop' selling dairy produce direct to the public. A thriving sheep and beef economy at one stage supported a number of local trucking firms and carriers, among them Gunn Transport and Hawkes Bay Farmers Transport, both of which were based at the now-derelict site at the corner of State Highway 2/Vogel Street and the Wairarapa bypass. These business were only economic in the pre-deregulated transport industry that existed prior to the Rogernomics reforms of the Lange Labour Government elected in 1984. With the lifting of distance restrictions (vehicles over a certain weight were at one stage restricted to travelling only 150 km from their geographic base) Woodville's role as a transport hub quickly fell away.
In addition, the local community sustained a supermarket (closed in the 1980s,) a Feltex fabrication factory - built in the mid-1970s and closed by the mid-1980s - at least four or five service station or garage outlets of which only one remains on the west side of the township (Known as Caltex Woodville), and a significant railway presence. The advent of the Oringi Meatworks in 1980-81 was a boost to Woodville's economy as a consequence of significant wage inflows from Woodville people working at Oringi. Oringi's plant closed in 2008.
Very little light industry has survived into the 21st century, and the local agricultural community is supported from Palmerston North, Pahiatua or Dannevirke. Milk from farms in the Woodville district is now transported by rail from the Oringi Milk Transfer Station to Hawera for processing. There has been a boost to the local economy with the construction and maintenance of the Te Apiti Wind Farm on the ridges above the town.
Woodville continues to host a successful horse-racing, rearing and training industry, based at the Woodville & Pahiatua Jockey Club's track on the north-east of the town.
Culture
Woodville was the birthplace of the Mountain Rock Music FestivalMountain Rock Music Festival
Mountain Rock Music Festivals held on a farm near Woodville then moved to a site near Palmerston North, were widely celebrated Kiwi music events in New Zealand during the 1990s...
, a celebration of New Zealand music growing to be the largest celebration of NZ music during the 1990s.
Artist Gottfried Lindauer
Gottfried Lindauer
Gottfried Lindauer, also known as Gottfried or Bohumir Lindaur was a New Zealand artist of Czech descent famous for his portraits. Many prominent Māori chiefs commissioned his work, which accurately records their facial tattoos, clothing, ornaments and weapons. The other artist known for these...
is buried in the Old Gorge cemetery.
Renewable Energy Generation
The foothills of the Ruahine and Tararua mountain ranges are to the west of Woodville, and they now host New Zealand's largest wind farm, which was established in the early 1990s and continues to expand. The prevailing westerly winds in the Manawatu-Southern Hawkes Bay region provide a consistent Median Wind Velocity which is the key relevant measure for wind generation as a renewable energy source. Further south, Wellington's reputation is perhaps inaccurate - the Manawatu's flat pastoral lands and in particular the funnel effect created by the Manawatu GorgeManawatu Gorge
The Manawatu Gorge runs between the Ruahine and Tararua Ranges of the North Island of New Zealand, linking the Manawatu and Hawke's Bay regions...
in the area near Woodville are well-known for being subject to high winds regularly. Following detailed assessment and testing in the early 1990s, the decision was made by newly-privatised electricity generation companies to site two large farms on the ridge-lines. As at early 2010, as many 50 wind turbines, over 40 m in height, dot the Tararua and Ruahine mountain ranges. Woodville now uses this fact as part of it promotion. However many people consider the windmills to be an eyesore and believe they are detrimental to the environmental landscape, seen as far away as Palmerston North.
Sport
Woodville has produced a number of well-regarded sporting competitors, particularly in the 1980s. Among them is 1987 All Black Robbie McLean, who played for the Woodville Rugby Club and Wairarapa-Bush at the time of his national selection. McLean was born in Hawera and was highly regarded by then selector and former All Black No 8 Brian Lochore. Others include Wairarapa-Bush flyhalf Kevin Carter, who at one stage held the national record for number of dropped goals in Division 1 season and was instrumental in the side's success in the old Division 1 first-class championship in the 1980s; and National Basketball League competitors Joe Schmidt and Paul Walsh, both of whom played for Ubix Palmerston North in the 1986-87 seasons. Schmidt also played first-class rugby on the wing for Manawatu and has since gone on to a successful coaching career with teams in New Zealand and France. In early 2010, Schmidt was named Head Coach of reigning Heineken Cup European Rugby champions LeinsterLeinster
Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...
, based in Dublin.