Palmerston North is in the lower North Island of New Zealand. It is situated in the Manawatu district.
Understand
Palmerston North has a population of approx. 75,000, is the seventh largest city in New Zealand and is the largest provincial city in the region.
It's the home of the largest campuses of Massey University and the Universal College of Learning (UCOL) and also the International Pacific College (IPC), making Palmerston North a student oriented city currently home to around 18,000 students. It is also the home of the Linton Military Camp and has the RNZ Airforce Base, Ohakea, close by. The Adidas Institute of Rugby, based at Massey University focuses on improving the skills of the All Blacks the national rugby union team, though sightings of them there are rare.
For some reason Palmerston North is the butt of many jokes throughout New Zealand - mainly associated with the perception that it is constantly windy! The 160 odd electricity generating windmills probably add to this perception. Palmy has great facilities, and offers an affordable lifestyle. It's a nice place to bring up kids.
Get in
Palmerston North is 7 hours by car from Auckland and two hours from the capital Wellington on State Highway 1 (SH1).
Palmerston North Airport handles mainly domestic but also some international travel.
It is also on the main railway line between Auckland and Wellington. There is a daily service - The Overlander.
Get around
One of the advantages of Palmerston North is that it is compact and flat (easy to cycle around). The main educational institutions have cycle lanes from the city center. The main route to Massey University along Fitzherbert Avenue is packed with cyclists every morning.
Palmerston North is built around The Square. Railway lines used to run through the Square, to the station, goods and shunting yards on Main Street west. This proved to be extremely impractical so the station was moved (1964-66) and the site turned into a park, known as the Railway Land. This explains why the roads radiating outwards from the Square are so wide because they used to accommodate the railway tracks. Most places are easily accessible by foot.
The Visitor Information Center is in The Square, phone +64 6 350 1922 , fax +64 6 350 1929 , email manawatu.visitor-info@xtra.co.nz.
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