Ōwhango is a small town in New Zealand situated about south of

Taumarunui Taumarunui is a small town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on an alluvial plain set within rugged terrain on the upper reaches of the Whanganui River, 65 km south of Te Kūiti and 55 km west of T� ...

on State Highway 4 (SH4), and about west of the

Whakapapa River The Whakapapa River in New Zealand forms from streams which trickle off the Whakapapa skifield of Mount Ruapehu and down the western slopes of the mountain. The river passes near Ōwhango, before finally merging with the Whanganui River just eas ...

, a tributary of the nascent

Whanganui River The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the country's third-longest river, and has special status owing to its importance to the region's Māori people. In March 2017 it became the world's second natur ...

. Ōwhango has been the

official name A legal name is the name that identifies a person for legal, administrative and other official purposes. A person's legal birth name generally is the name of the person that was given for the purpose of Civil registry, registration of the birth ...

since 16 July 2020. It is a

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

name that translates as "the place of wheezy noises". The village features a backdrop of native forest and

Mount Ruapehu Mount Ruapehu (; English ) is an active stratovolcano at the southern end of the Taupō Volcanic Zone and North Island North Island Volcanic Plateau, volcanic plateau in New Zealand. It is northeast of Ohakune and southwest of the southern s ...

, with native birds like

tūī The tūī (''Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae'') is a medium-sized bird native to New Zealand. It is blue, green, and bronze coloured with a distinctive white throat tuft (poi). It is an endemism, endemic passerine bird of New Zealand, and the on ...

and

kererū The kererū (''Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae''), also known as kūkupa (Māori language#Northern dialects, northern Māori dialects), New Zealand pigeon or wood pigeon, is a species of pigeon native to New Zealand. Johann Friedrich Gmelin describ ...

. The domain, set amongst native forest, includes large open playing fields, children's play area and two tennis courts. The Main Trunk Line passes through Ōwhango on the western side of

State Highway 4 Route 4, or Highway 4, may refer to several highways in the following countries: International * AH4, Asian Highway 4 * European route E04 * European route E004 * Cairo – Cape Town Highway Albania * SH-4 road in Albania from Durrës to Ka ...

, with two crossing points for vehicles, one controlled (Owhango Road, centrally located) and the other uncontrolled (Onematua Road, on the northern boundary). From 1905 to 1985 Ōwhango had a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

Geography

Latitude 39 degrees south sign in Ōwhango, looking north, September 2019, thumb Ōwhango is located on the 39°

latitude In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate system, geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from −90° at t ...

line, placing it on the boundary of the old

Auckland Province The Auckland Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. Area The province covered roughly half of the North Island of New Zealand. It was the largest of the six initial provinces, bo ...

and

Wellington Province Wellington Province, governed by the Wellington Provincial Council, was one of the provinces of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. It covered much of the southern half of the North Island until November 1 ...

. Halfway through Ōwhango is a sign marking "39° South". This sign is accurate (to within a few metres) when using NZ

Geodetic Datum A geodetic datum or geodetic system (also: geodetic reference datum, geodetic reference system, or geodetic reference frame, or terrestrial reference frame) is a global datum reference or reference frame for unambiguously representing the positi ...

1949. The position of 39° South when using

WGS84 The World Geodetic System (WGS) is a standard used in cartography, geodesy, and satellite navigation including GPS. The current version, WGS 84, defines an Earth-centered, Earth-fixed coordinate system and a geodetic datum, and also descri ...

(or NZ Geodetic Datum 2000) is about 196 metres further south, but this is not marked. The native forest is part of the Ohinetonga Scenic Reserve which contains unlogged old growth native forest containing some forest giants and a pretty lagoon accessible from a looped walking track. A road through the reserve, signposted from the State Highway, leads down to the view from the old logging bridge over the

. Along the river are memorable picnic spots with superb swimming pools containing

rainbow A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular ...

and

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus ''Salmo'', endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally ...

. It is also a launch point for kayakers heading for Kakahi, or even further down the

. Beyond the bridge is the vast expanse of Tongariro Forest Conservation Area, once the source of timber for local mills, but now protected as conservation land thanks to a successful campaign in the 1980s led by local people to save the forest from clearance. Bisecting the forest is one of New Zealand's best mountain bike rides, the 42 Traverse. The forest also has excellent tramping, camping and deer hunting opportunities. In the heart of the regenerating forest is one of only a handful of national

kiwi Kiwi most commonly refers to: * Kiwi (bird), a flightless bird native to New Zealand * Kiwi (nickname), an informal name for New Zealanders * Kiwifruit, an edible hairy fruit with many seeds * Kiwi dollar or New Zealand dollar, a unit of curren ...

sanctuaries where the

Department of Conservation Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

controls alien predators to protect a population of the

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

Brown Kiwi.

History

Ōwhango began as a mill town, milling native timbers from around the local area. The last operational mill burned to the ground in the

1970s File:1970s decade montage.jpg, Clockwise from top left: U.S. President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office following the Watergate scandal in 1974; The United States was still involved in the Vietnam War ...

. Many of the mill houses are now holiday homes owned by city dwellers keen on the

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian. A few of the recreational ...

and tramping opportunities that abound in the surrounding area. The village had a permanent population of 177 (2013 census data) and has a primary school, garage (no fuel sold there, however), hotel, accommodation lodges, cottages for hire and bed and breakfast/homestay places and a café and public hall where the monthly market is held. There is a historical swimming pool actually constructed into the bed of the Kakahi Stream, located about west down Onematua Road from

at the northern boundary of Ōwhango. The pool was created by locals in the hope of preparing one of the local athletes for the

British Empire and Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

. Beside the pool is a monument marking the centenary of the

Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...

. Local records indicate the pool was first ready for use over the 1939/1940 summer. In 1961 a conventional swimming pool in the grounds of the local school was opened. The Ōwhango Hall was originally used as a silent movies cinema seating 250. In more recent times it has mainly been used for community meetings and events, indoors bowls, and market days. The Ōwhango Volunteer Fire Brigade has been operating since 1965.

Demographics

Ōwhango is defined by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². It is part of the larger National Park statistical area. Ōwhango had a population of 174 at the

2018 New Zealand census The 2018 New Zealand census, which took place on Tuesday 6 March 2018, was the thirty-fourth national census in New Zealand. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,699,755 – an increase of 457,707 (10.79%) over the 2013 census. Resu ...

, a decrease of 3 people (−1.7%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 15 people (−7.9%) since the 2006 census. There were 75 households, comprising 84 males and 87 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.97 males per female. The median age was 44.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 36 people (20.7%) aged under 15 years, 27 (15.5%) aged 15 to 29, 75 (43.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 33 (19.0%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 84.5% European/

Pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...

, 27.6%

, 1.7% Asian, and 1.7% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 56.9% had no religion, 29.3% were

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, 1.7% had

Māori religious beliefs Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

, 1.7% were

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

and 1.7% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 24 (17.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 33 (23.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $24,500, compared with $31,800 nationally. 18 people (13.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 54 (39.1%) people were employed full-time, 24 (17.4%) were part-time, and 9 (6.5%) were unemployed. Farming and tourism are the largest employers.

Sports and events

The local sports teams generally dress in green and white. Historically, especially in the 1950s, the Ōwhango Domain played host to a sub-regional annual sports day. It is still used for occasional sports and school events. The Ōwhango Hall is sometimes used for indoor bowls, and is also just big enough for one

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

court. Regular events at the domain and hall include the annual Ōwhango Pumpkin Growing Competition, monthly community markets, and an annual T42 mountain biking, running and walking event.

Education

Owhango school, with a roll of Owhango School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of . The earliest schooling in Ōwhango was in canvas tents, starting from about 1904 and coinciding with the construction of the railway line through the area. The first permanent school opened in 1910. The current school buildings date from about 1970, with the previous building later relocated to a nearby section. The Taumaranui Mobile Library visits the school regularly, to provide access to children living remotely.

Notable people

* Don Rowlands, rower

External links

Ōwhango Community websiteKayak Route: Estimated Grade 3 with many rapids

References

{{Ruapehu District Ruapehu District Populated places in Manawatū-Whanganui