Scenes from the 2006 Fair, Held 18 February.

Petone is a major suburb of the city of Lower Hutt in New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the narrow triangular plain of the Hutt River, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour. The name, from the Maori Pito-one, means "end of the beach" or "short beach". Image File history File links 2006_Petone_Fair_sml. ... Image File history File links 2006_Petone_Fair_sml. ... Lower Hutt is a city in the lower North Island of the country of New Zealand. ... The Hutt River looking downstream. ... Wellington Habour is the large natural habour at the south-eastern tip of the North Island, on which New Zealands capital stands. ... Māori (or Maori) is a language spoken by the native peoples of New Zealand and the Cook Islands. ...

Petone was the first European settlement in the Wellington region and retains many historical buildings and landmarks. The first settlers arrived here in January 1840, on the ship Aurora. After the arrival of a second ship, the Cuba, plans were undertaken for the building of the settlement of Britannia on the site. As it sits in what was once the swamp, the earliest settlers found life hard, and new settlement was abandoned after only a few months. A new site was chosen around the shores of what is now the city of Wellington, New Zealand's capital. For other uses, see Wellington (disambiguation). ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... For other uses, see Wellington (disambiguation). ...

The Petone Wharf on a windy day(picture from the Wikipedia Commons)

Until the 1980s Petone was a thriving, largely working-class town and borough, and the location of large industrial sites. The majority of these, including car assembly and meat processing factories, closed in the 1980s, resulting in gradual economic decline. Petone was an independent borough until local government reform in 1989 led to its amalgamation with Lower Hutt. The suburb has since enjoyed renewed economic growth, using its early European heritage as a draw for tourists and gaining many cafes and shops.Probably it is best known for the Petone Rugby Club which has been one of the Worlds leading clubs since 1885. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Lower Hutt is a city in the lower North Island of the country of New Zealand. ... The Petone Rugby Football Club was founded in 1885 and have been the Wellington Premier Champions 38 times between 1895 and 2005. ...