Himatangi


Himatangi is a small settlement in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located at the junction of State Highways 1 and 56, 25 kilometres west of Palmerston North, and seven kilometres east of the coastal settlement of Himatangi Beach.
The area has two marae:
About 50 Māori land blocks are located between Himatangi and Foxton to the south.

History

The area was largely undeveloped with rough terrain in 1942, according to a photograph held in the National Library of New Zealand.
Himatangi was once the location of the junction between the New Zealand Railways Department's Foxton Branch railway and the Manawatu County Council's Sanson Tramway. Both lines are now closed; use of the Tramway ceased in 1945, followed by the Branch in 1959.
In 2005, a study found agricultural pesticides were being rapidly leached into the sandy soil at Himatangi.
In 2009, planning approval was granted for the building of a piggery after the landowner agreed to reduce from what he originally proposed.
In 2014, the community was used as a trial community for the Horizons Regional Council's emergency readiness plan. The landowner and New Zealand Pork Board had been considering legal action through the Environment Court.
In 2019 a regional bus service between Levin and Palmerston North was introduced, providing a weekly return service between Himatangi and Foxton.

Education

Oroua Downs School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of.