Herbertville, earlier known as Wainui after the Wainui River, is a small settlement on the eastern coast of the Tararua District. It lies just south of

Cape Turnagain Cape Turnagain is a prominent headland on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, part way between Hawke Bay and Cook Strait, between the mouths of the Porangahau and Ākitio Rivers. The cape was named by Captain James Cook in 1769. On ...

, a promontory named by

Captain Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...

who used the location as a well-remembered point where he turned his ship and retraced his journey. At the turn of the 20th century Herbertville was a thriving community. It had a large hotel, several shops, a police station, and a blacksmith. Schooners beached on the vast expanse of shallow sandy beach on high tides and passengers and cargoes were unloaded. The ships would then be refloated on the next high tide and would carry on their way. Horse-drawn coaches connected the settlement with the township of

Dannevirke Dannevirke ( "Earthworks (archaeology), work of the Danes", a reference to Danevirke; mi, Taniwaka, lit= or ''Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua'', the area where the town is), is a rural service town in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of the North Island, New ...

via Weber.

References

Tararua District Populated places in Manawatū-Whanganui {{ManawatuWanganui-geo-stub