Weber is a
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
situated 28 km south-east of
Dannevirke and 23 km west-northwest of
Herbertville, on the east coast of
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
. Weber was named after the German born surveyor Charles H. Weber (*1830) who died during a surveying project near Woodville in 1886. His body was only found three years after his disappearance.
Weber is just off the former
State Highway 52. This is a scenic tourist route between
Waipukurau and
Eketāhuna
Eketāhuna is a small rural settlement, in the south of the Tararua (district), New Zealand, Tararua District and the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island.
The town is located at eastern foot of the Tararua Ranges, 35 kilome ...
which also runs past the place with the world's longest place name,
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu. A short distance from Weber are the Waihi Falls.
Weber had a cemetery, located approximately 2 km to the west of the settlement. It contains around 51 burial plots with just under half of those being aged 13 or under. A recent, (2013), memorial to those buried there has been erected alongside the main road into Weber.
Weber is the exact
antipode for the
Spanish capital
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
.
History
The hamlet was founded the late 19th century as an overnight stop for coach teams on the journey to and from the coast. This was the distance a team of 6 horses and a coach could travel in one day.
At the turn of the century it was a thriving small community. It had a police station and one cell jail, a large hotel, shops and a post office. Today it consists of a church, a school, a pub, a rural fire depot, a community centre and several houses.
Wises index of every place in NZ (1897) describes Weber as, WEBER, Hawke's Bay. On Ākitio River; in Waipawa County; 104 m south from Napier. Rail to Dannevirke, thence coach Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 25 m (10s). Daily service in summer. Grazing and sawmilling. Good shooting, game of all kinds in season. Cycle roads fair only; the Ākitio River falls reached on horseback, great attraction. One hotel; private board 25s. Post and telegraph office, called after the first surveyor of the township. Resident doctor. Is the name of a county. A recent (2013) memorial to the Weber cemetery was erected alongside a
paper road some 2 km west of the settlement.
In 1990, Weber was the epicentre for a large earthquake. The local geology of the area magnified the effect making the earthquake seem worse than it was. It is known locally as the "Mother's Day earthquake" as it occurred during
Mother's Day.
During the two world wars the local population of Weber lost a great number of its men.
Weber has a permanent war memorial. The first ANZAC parade in 50 years took place in 2010.
Education
Weber School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,
with a roll of as of .
References
{{Tararua District
Tararua District
Populated places in Manawatū-Whanganui