Woodville

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MHF Towns Tararua District Council
About Events Trails Nearby
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  • International NZ Motocross Grand Prix
    International NZ Motocross Grand Prix
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    The Grand Prix Motocross is held annually in Woodville and is generally on the last weekend in January. This 3 day event attracts international riders and is an exciting one to watch. The event is held by the Manawatu Orion Motorcycle Club and is held at the Woodville end of the Manawatu Gorge.
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  • The windfarms of Tararua
    The windfarms of Tararua
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    Two Windfarms are located near Woodville
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  • International NZ Motocross Grand Prix
  • The windfarms of Tararua
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Peace, tranquility, country roads, gently winding rivers, fresh air, green horizons and ranges await you in Woodville - all of this being a conveniently short distance from the bright lights of Palmerston North (25 minutes), Napier (1 ½ hours) and Wellington (2 hours). 

At the intersection of State Highways 2 and 3, Woodville offers cafés, bakeries, bookshops, galleries, museums, gift shops and antique stores attracting keen visitors.

The original junction

Woodville was also a traveller's rest spot in history.  It was a place to rest for hunters as they walked from one side of the Manawatu Gorge to the other, and remains a pivotal stop-over place for travellers. Originally referred to by locals as The Junction, Woodville took its name from being part of the vast Seventy Mile Bush. 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 other towns were Dannevirke and Pahiatua.

Woodville continues to host a successful horse-racing, rearing and training industry, based at the Woodville Pahiatua Racing Club. The name Woodville is synonymous with outstanding achievements in New Zealand horse racing.

Woodville is the gateway to the spectacular Manawatu Gorge - which is flanked by the Tararua and Ruahine Ranges. The Manawatu Gorge is unique, with a State Highway, the Manawatu River and a railway all running parallel through the cut in the gorge.  An interesting local landmark is Whariti Peak (920m - 2950ft), one of the main peaks in the Ruahine Ranges near Woodville.

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. Meridian Energy's Te Apiti Wind Farm is located on Saddle Road.

Taraua District Council | Ph: 06 374 4080 (North) 06 376 0110 (South) | 45 Vogel St, Woodville - www.tararuadc.govt.nz