In the Manawatū region, the landscape is dominated by rolling hills and dotted with villages that offer an authentic slice of New Zealand farming life; from the unpretentious university city of Palmerston North to country villages where you can join the gumboot-clad locals for a ‘couple of quiets’ at a pub that’s served the community for generations.

Around the Manawatū Region

Exciting outdoor activities and wilderness experiences abound in this region. The university town of Palmerston North is a bustling service centre with a wide range of shops and amenities, including plentiful accommodation. In the countryside beyond lie small towns such as Feilding and Shannon.

Regional Destinations

Palmerston North A bustling small city in the heart of the Manawatū region. As a university town, it also has a number of bars and pubs to keep the students busy by night. A temperate climate ensures that the local gardens are impressive and the surrounding landscape, intersected by the Manawatū River and overlooked by mountains, ensures there are plenty of outdoor activities. 

Feilding The pretty country town of Feilding, just outside Palmerston North, is a great place to experience country life – watch livestock being auctioned at the saleyard or browse one of the country’s best farmers’ markets. 

Mangatainoka This small rural town is home to the nationally famous Tui brewery, which has been operating in its distinctive brick building since 1889 and attracts over 40,000 visitors each year to brewery tours and its onsite brew bar and café.

Highlights

Visit the acclaimed Te Manawa museum, art gallery and science centre. Hike in the forest-clad Manawatū Gorge. Stop and smell the roses at The Esplanade by the Manawatū River. Experience adventure in the rugged Rangitikei region.

All Blacks Country

Manawatū has a proud rugby history and Palmerston North houses the New Zealand Rugby Museum, showcase of the nation’s national sport/obsession for well over a century. It holds an extensive collection of memorabilia, historical items, rugby information and of course, silverware!