Manaia (Taranaki)

Manaia is a village in the South Taranaki district in Taranaki in New Zealand. Opunake located 29 km north-west, Hawera 13 km south-east, 15 km north Kaponga. State Highway 45 runs through the city. Manaia is named after a former Māorihäuptling the region, Hukunui Manaia named.

The place had the Census 2006 927 inhabitants, a decrease of 24 from 2001.

The place has a South Taranaki District Council Library Plus, a library that provides various administrative services and free Internet access in addition to borrow literature.

History

Manaja has a former redoubt, which was built around 1880 during peace time instead of Te Pā Takahe by the Parihaka chief Te Whiti o Rongomai. The 35 m high wooden watchtower was destroyed by a storm in 1912 and replaced by a concrete tower. This and two original log cabins are today in the midst of a golf course. Ditches surrounding the tower and block houses. The facility could accommodate about 160 defenders.

Opened in 1905, the golf course is one of the oldest in the Taranaki region.

On the road from Manaia after Hawera the concrete remains of a mill can be seen. These are remnants of a mill, which was built in 1900 to replace a wooden mill, which was built in 1882 by DF McVicar of the Sentry Hill flour mill from New Plymouth. The Waiokura River drove the mill via a water wheel with 4.6 m large waterwheel with 11 kW power at. She had 4 floors and was 11 m long and 6 m wide. The building allowed the storage of 15,000 sacks of flour.

The bakery Yarrows is the largest employer since 1923.

Manaia has a primary school with 2011 166 students. It was founded in 1882. 2005 closed the Tokaora School and merged with the Manaia School.