Mangaweka

Mangaweka is a township on the State Highway One (SH1), Manawatū-Whanganui region, in the North Island of New Zealand, with a population of just under 200. It is between Taihape to the north and Hunterville to the south.[1] The Rangitikei River runs adjacent to the township, which is popular for rafting, kayaking, fishing and swimming.

Mangaweka
Mangaweka's iconic DC-3

The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "weka stream" for Mangaweka.[2]

The township is interesting not only for the visually interesting historic main street, but also because of its growing artists' community. The main street is preserved in its original state due to SH1 being re-located in the early 1980s. This tore the heart out of the township as the main street became redundant, but this is what makes the township such a tourist attraction today, with many people stopping to take photographs and visit the flourishing art galleries.

The main feature in Mangaweka is an elevated DC-3 aircraft. It was originally set above SH1 as a cafe, but this is currently closed and is awaiting redevelopment.[3] The Department of Conservation have several scenic reserve walks around Mangaweka including one on the former North Island Main Trunk railway line and tunnels, replaced by a deviation in 1981.

Famous (or infamous) people who have lived in Mangaweka include the New Zealand poet Sam Hunt, the artist Robin White (whose iconic "Mangaweka" painting hangs in Te Papa) and photographer/artist Richard Aslett. The town also hosts the controversial annual "Fakes & Forgeries Art Exhibition and Festival" in October and November, which in 2007 featured Mangaweka's most famous son, Carl Feodor Goldie (alias Karl Sim ).

Other major features close to the town include some of the country's biggest railway viaducts on the Mangaweka deviation,[4] and the Rangitikei River canyon which provides the setting for the southern hemisphere's highest flying fox, 80m bungy jump and Lord of the Rings location, and Mangaweka Assembly of God.

Education

Mangaweka School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,[5][6] with a roll of 18 as of March 2020.[7]

See also

References
  1. http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/whanganui-places/9
  2. "1000 Māori place names". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 6 August 2019.
  3. Browne, Alister (11 January 2018). "Central North Island roadside attraction still flying high". Stuff. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  4. Beaglehole, Diana (15 June 2015). "Whanganui places - Taihape district". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
  5. "Official School Website". mangaweka.school.nz.
  6. "Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
  7. "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.