Wairarapa (often known as "The Wairarapa") is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service towns, with Masterton being the largest. It is named for Lake Wairarapa.Said why-ra-ra-pa. North Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. ... For other uses, see Wellington (disambiguation). ... Hawkes Bay is a region of New Zealand. ... Masterton is a town (and local government district) in the Wellington region of New Zealand. ... Lake Wairarapa is a lake at the southern end of the North Island of New Zealand, 50 kilometres east of Wellington. ...

Boundaries

The area is divided between the local government regions of Wellington, Manawatu-Wanganui, and Hawke's Bay. The Wellington region of New Zealand occupies the southern end of the North Island. ... Manawatu-Wanganui is a region situated in the lower half of the North Island of New Zealand, around the city of Palmerston North and the central city of Wanganui. ... Hawkes Bay is a region of New Zealand. ...

The area south of Mt. Bruce is in the Greater Wellington Region. It contains the Masterton, Carterton and South Wairarapa Districts. It is separated from Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt cities by the Rimutaka Ranges. Masterton is a town (and local government district) in the Wellington region of New Zealand. ... Carterton is a small town in a farming area of the Wairarapa district in New Zealand’s North Island. ... The South Wairarapa District Council controls the south-east tip of the North Island of New Zealand. ... Upper Hutt is New Zealands smallest city by population, the second largest by land area and is located in the Wellington region of New Zealand. ... Lower Hutt is a city in the lower North Island of the country of New Zealand. ... The Rimutaka Range (often referred to as the Rimutaka Ranges) is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand which form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between East Cape and Wellington. ...

The district's northern borders are vague, and there is some overlap with southern Hawke's Bay. Part of the reason is that the area was settled from both the north and the west and has been the subject of several reorganisations of local government.

The area to the north of Mt Bruce, extending through Pahiatua and Woodville to about Dannevirke, is part of the Tararua District and is in the Manawatu-Wanganui region, because it is in the catchment of the headwaters of the Manawatu River. The river runs westward between the two mountain ranges (Tararua Ranges to the south and Ruahine Ranges to the north) via the Manawatu Gorge, to pass through Palmerston North and reach the west coast of the North Island. Pahiatua is a rural service town in the southeastern North Island of New Zealand. ... Woodville is a small town in the southern North Island of New Zealand. ... Dannevirke (Danes work), is a rural service town in the southern Hawkes Bay area of New Zealand. ... Manawatu-Wanganui is a region situated in the lower half of the North Island of New Zealand, around the city of Palmerston North and the central city of Wanganui. ... The Manawatu River system The Manawatu River is a major river of the southern North Island of New Zealand. ... The Tararua Range (often referred to as the Tararua Ranges) is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand which form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between East Cape and Wellington. ... The Ruahine Range (often referred to as the Ruahine Ranges) is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand which form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between East Cape and Wellington. ... The Manawatu Gorge (in Maori Te Apiti, meaning The Narrow Passage) runs between the Ruahine and Tararua Ranges of the North Island of New Zealand, linking the Manawatu and Hawkes Bay regions. ... Palmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. ...

The east coast contains settlements such as Tinui, Castlepoint, and Riversdale, while the main southern rivers drain through or past Lake Wairarapa to discharge into Palliser Bay east of Cook Strait. Lake Wairarapa is a lake at the southern end of the North Island of New Zealand, 50 kilometres east of Wellington. ... Location of Palliser Bay Palliser Bay is located at the southern end of the North Island of New Zealand, to the southeast of Wellington. ... A view of from the summit of Mount Victoria, Wellington - Cook Strait stretches to the right (west). ...

History

The name means "Glistening Waters", and is said to have been applied by an early Māori explorer, Huanui, who saw the rivers and lake from the mountains to the west. Languages Māori, English Religions Māori religion, Christianity Related ethnic groups other Polynesian peoples, Austronesian peoples The word Māori refers to the indigenous people of New Zealand and their language. ...

Rangitane and Ngāti Kahungunu were the Māori tribes (iwi) in the area when European explorers arrived in the 1770s. The Ngāti Kahungunu iwi, one of the largest tribes of New Zealand Māori, is based in Wairārapa , Hawkes Bay and Wairoa. ... Languages Māori, English Religions Māori religion, Christianity Related ethnic groups other Polynesian peoples, Austronesian peoples The word Māori refers to the indigenous people of New Zealand and their language. ... Iwi (pronounced ee-wee) are the largest everyday social units in Māori society. ... Events and Trends For more events, see 18th century United States Declaration of Independence ratified by the Continental Congress (July 4, 1776). ...

European settlement began in the early 1840s, initially on large grazing runs leased from Māori , and with closer settlement from the 1850s. // Events and Trends Technology First use of general anesthesia in an operation, by Crawford Long The first electrical telegraph sent by Samuel Morse on May 24, 1844 from Baltimore to Washington, D.C.. War, peace and politics First signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) on February... // Production of steel revolutionized by invention of the Bessemer process Benjamin Silliman fractionates petroleum by distillation for the first time First transatlantic telegraph cable laid First safety elevator installed by Elisha Otis Railroads begin to supplant canals in the United States as a primary means of transporting goods. ...

On January 23, 1855 the region was hit by the strongest earthquake recorded in New Zealand, which reached Magnitude 8.1 on the Richter Scale. There were five deaths. January 23 is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... An earthquake is the result from the sudden release of stored energy in the Earths crust that creates seismic waves. ... The Richter magnitude test scale (or more correctly local magnitude ML scale) assigns a single number to quantify the size of an earthquake. ...

Economy

The agricultural industries, including forestry, cropping, sheep and beef and dairy farming, are major land users. The area around Martinborough, in the south, is renowned for its vineyards and wine, while beer has been made at Mangatainoka, near Pahiatua, since 1889. Deer farming is growing in importance. Martinborough is the name of a town in South Wairarapa a district in the Wellington region on the North Island of New Zealand. ... Pahiatua is a rural service town in the southeastern North Island of New Zealand. ... Year 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... “Fawn” redirects here. ...

Transport

The region is well served by different transport modes. The State Highway 2, via Rimutaka Hill Road connects the region to Wellington in the south and the Manawatu in the north. The Wairarapa railway line connects the region via the Rimutaka Tunnel to Wellington, and connects with the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line at Woodville. Regular rail passenger services, named the Wairarapa Connection operate from Masterton to Wellington. These services are operated by Tranz Metro. The Wairarapa line is a section of secondary railway line in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the Wairarapa region. ... Rimutaka Tunnel, rail tunnel through New Zealands Rimutaka Ranges between Upper Hutt, near Wellington, and Featherston. ... The Wairarapa Connection is an inter-urban locomotive hauled railway service in New Zealand that operates between Masterton in the Wairarapa region and Wellington City. ... Masterton is a town (and local government district) in the Wellington region of New Zealand. ... Tranz Metro is the commuter rail system of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. ...

Many residents, especially in the western towns such as Featherston and Greytown, commute to work in Wellington, either by train or over the Rimutaka Ranges by car. Featherston is a town in the south of the North Island of New Zealand, east of Wellington, just east of the Rimutaka Tunnel, in the South Wairarapa District. ... There is also a Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal (in South Africa). ... For other uses, see Wellington (disambiguation). ... The Rimutaka Range (often referred to as the Rimutaka Ranges) is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand which form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between East Cape and Wellington. ...

Wildlife

Many of New Zealand's endangered native birds can be seen at the National Wildlife Centre at Mt Bruce, which lies just south of Eketahuna. Eketahuna is a small rural service town, the most southerly in the Tararua District in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. ...

The real New Zealand?

Eketahuna is considered by some to be the epitome of rural New Zealand towns. Eketahuna is a small rural service town, the most southerly in the Tararua District in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. ...

Famous people born in Wairarapa

• Bob Charles, golfer, at Carterton.
• Keith Holyoake, Prime Minister of New Zealand, at Pahiatua.
• Maurice Wilkins, scientist, whose work led to the discovery of DNA, at Pongaroa.
• Vincent Ward, Film director, at Greytown (What dreams may come, The Navigator, Vigil, River Queen)
• Murray Halberg, Middle distance runner and Olympic gold medalist, at Eketahuna
• Sir Brian Lochore, All Black, at Masterton
• Raybon Kan, Comedian, at Masterton
• Mike Fabulous, member of The Black Seeds and Fly my Pretties
• Jess Carter, member of The Spice Rack Enquirer, born in Masterton

Sir Bob Charles KNZM CBE (born March 14, 1936) is one of the world’s greatest left handed golfers, winner of more than 70 titles and first lefty to win one of golf’s Majors. ... Carterton is a small town in a farming area of the Wairarapa district in New Zealand’s North Island. ... The Right Honorable Sir Keith Jacka Holyoake, KG, GCMG, CH, QSO was a New Zealand politician. ... The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealands head of government and is the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The structure of part of a DNA double helix Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions for the development and function of living organisms. ... The small township of Pongaroa lies in The Wairarapa, in the southeast of the North Island of New Zealand. ... Vincent Ward, ONZM (born Greytown, New Zealand, in 1956) is a film director and screenwriter. ... Greytown, population 1,998 (as at the 2001 Census), is a town in the Wairarapa, in the lower North Island of New Zealand. ... Sir Murray Gordon Halberg, MBE, (born July 7, 1933 in Eketahuna) is a former New Zealand middle distance runner. ... Sir Brian James Lochore, ONZ, KNZM, OBE (born 3 September 1940 in Masterton, New Zealand) is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer who played 68 matches (25 Tests) for the All Blacks between 1963 and 1971. ... Masterton is a town (and local government district) in the Wellington region of New Zealand. ... Raybon Kan is a Masterton, New Zealand-born Chinese comedian and newspaper columnist. ... Masterton is a town (and local government district) in the Wellington region of New Zealand. ... The Black Seeds The Black Seeds are a band from Wellington, New Zealand. ... Masterton is a town (and local government district) in the Wellington region of New Zealand. ...

See also

• List of regions in New Zealand
• Georgina Beyer

Regions is the formal term for the top tier of local government in New Zealand. ... Georgina Beyer addresses the International Conference on LGBT Human Rights Georgina Beyer (b 1957) is the worlds first openly transsexual Member of Parliament, currently a list MP for the Labour Party in New Zealand. ...

External links

• Where is Tararua?
• Wairarapa Times-Age newspaper