Last updated October 2026
Awahuri is a rural locality in the Manawatū District, on the plains between Palmerston North and Feilding. It is near Palmerston North, not part of Palmerston North City. State Highway 3 runs through the area, and the Ōroua River and its floodplain shape the farmland around it.
The locality is tied to Awahuri Hall, the historic homestead at Highden, and Awahuri Forest Kitchener Park, a rare remnant of lowland semi-swamp podocarp forest toward Feilding. Day-to-day life is quiet and rural, with Feilding and Palmerston North both a short drive away for shops and services.
Official Locality Facts
- Population (2023 Census)
- About 360, up 13% since 2018
- Land area
- 13.19 km²
- Location
- 12.7 km north-west of central Palmerston North
- Council
- Manawatu District Council
- Getting there
- State Highway 3 passes through Awahuri. Awahuri-Feilding Road links the locality with Feilding. A private vehicle is the practical way to get around.
- Nearby landmarks
- Awahuri Hall at 1641 State Highway 3, Awahuri Forest Kitchener Park, Highden on Green Road, and the Ōroua River.
Who Lives in Awahuri
About 360 residents in 130 households. From the 2023 Census, with the New Zealand figure alongside for comparison.
About Awahuri
Awahuri sits on the Manawatū plains where the highway, the river and long-established farms meet. The community point on State Highway 3 is modest: a hall, surrounding paddocks, and side roads such as Green Road and Awahuri-Feilding Road rather than a town centre. Feilding is the nearest service town. Palmerston North is the larger city to the southeast.
Ngāti Kauwhata have long connections with this country. The reserve management plan for Awahuri Forest Kitchener Park records that the iwi settled in the wider area after migrating from Maungatautari in the early 1800s, with many people living along the Ōroua.
The same plan names Ngāti Apa, Rangitāne o Manawatū and Ngāti Toa Rangatira as other iwi with connections to the land.
A large meeting house known as Te Iwa, or Te Iwa Tekau, once stood on the east bank of the river a short distance south of the highway. It was built for the visit of King Tāwhiao in 1883, later fell into disrepair, and was blown down in the gale of 1936.
European settlement turned the forested floodplain into farmland. In 1888 Walter Woods Johnston, then a Member of Parliament for the Manawatu, bought a large block and named the estate Highden after a family property in Sussex.
The homestead on Green Road, designed by Frederick de Jersey Clere, was built in 1898, with a wing added in 1903. Farming remained the mainstay. An artificial breeding centre opened at Awahuri in 1961 on a 200 acre site to support herd improvement.
Today the locality is still a working rural area. Awahuri Hall, built in 1963 by contractors and local volunteers, is the community venue: a main hall, supper room, kitchen, toilets and storage, with an unsealed car park.
The floor area is 360 square metres and the maximum capacity is 180 people. Disabled access is not available. Bookings are arranged through the contact on the Manawatū District Council hall page.
History and Heritage
Highden stayed in the Johnston family until 1922, when the estate was divided. The homestead block, then 222 acres with the house, farm buildings and a stand of native bush, kept the name. In 1923 the Society of Mary, the Marist Fathers, bought it for a novitiate house and held it until 1990.
A chapel and accommodation block were added during that period and later rebuilt. The property has since returned to private ownership and is known as Highden Manor Estate. It is a landmark of the locality, not a public reserve, so check before visiting.
The meeting house at Awahuri is known only from the historical record. Manawatū Heritage describes Te Iwa as a large house facing the highway, with the river to one side, tukutuku and kōwhaiwhai inside, and no carving.
A smaller wharepuni and a cookhouse stood nearby. Nothing of that complex remains on the riverbank. The name and the 1883 visit are the clearest published record of nineteenth-century Māori life at this highway crossing.
Awahuri Forest Kitchener Park
Awahuri Forest Kitchener Park protects one of the few remaining pieces of lowland semi-swamp podocarp forest in the Manawatū District.
The reserve covers 13.9868 hectares, about 3 kilometres southwest of Feilding, between Kawakawa Road and Awahuri-Feilding Road, where the Mangaone West Stream meets the Makino Stream. It is on the Feilding side of the Awahuri road, and it carries the Awahuri name because the original purchase was made to preserve Awahuri Forest.
Feilding Borough Council bought the first piece from the Riddiford family in 1914. The Crown bought adjacent land for scenic purposes the same year. In 1916 the reserve was named Kitchener Park after Lord Kitchener. It was classified a Scenic A reserve in 1980.
The forest includes kahikatea, tōtara, rimu, pukatea and kōwhai, and it has been used for school visits and scientific study. Floods, weeds and changes to the streams have damaged the remnant more than once. Restoration planting, tracks and a boardwalk have been rebuilt over many years.
A volunteer trust oversaw restoration for more than a decade. It has since wound up, and Manawatū District Council has full responsibility for care of the park.
Council describes the park as open for walking and quiet recreation. Treat it as a fragile scenic reserve: stay on formed paths and the boardwalk, and do not take drones in without a council permit.
Dogs are allowed only on a lead, and only on the paths and boardwalk. Pest traps are used in the reserve, so keep dogs clear of them. After heavy rain, expect wet ground. The reserve sits on a floodplain, and past floods have damaged tracks and plantings.
Near Awahuri
Just outside Awahuri, within 10 km of its centre, nearest first.
Places
Where to Learn More
Manawatū District Council: Awahuri Hall: Official facilities, capacity, access notes and booking contact for the hall on State Highway 3.
Awahuri Forest Kitchener Park Management Plan: Council plan covering the reserve history, ecology, access and rules for visitors.
Manawatū Heritage: Highden Manor Estate: Archived history of the Green Road homestead, from the Johnston estate to later owners.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Awahuri part of Palmerston North?
No. Awahuri is a locality in the Manawatū District, near Palmerston North. Palmerston North City and Feilding are the nearest centres for most services.
How do I get to Awahuri?
State Highway 3 runs through the locality. Awahuri-Feilding Road connects it with Feilding. A car is the practical way to arrive and to move between the hall, Green Road and the forest park.
What is Awahuri Forest Kitchener Park?
It is a Scenic A reserve of 13.9868 hectares, about 3 kilometres southwest of Feilding, protecting a remnant of lowland semi-swamp podocarp forest. Walkways and a boardwalk give access. Council now looks after the park.
Is the park open to visitors?
Yes. Council describes it as a place for recreation and time in the forest. Stay on the paths, expect fragile ground, and be prepared for wet conditions after rain because the reserve is on a floodplain.
Are dogs allowed in the park?
Only on a lead, and only on the paths and boardwalk. Keep dogs away from pest traps. The hall is a booked venue, so check with the booking contact before taking a dog there.
Can I hire Awahuri Hall?
Yes. The hall at 1641 State Highway 3 seats up to 180 people and includes a supper room and kitchen. There is an unsealed car park, and disabled access is not available. Use the contact on the council hall page to book.
What is Highden?
Highden is a historic homestead on Green Road, built in 1898 for Walter Woods Johnston and later used by the Marist Fathers as a novitiate from 1923 to 1990. It is privately owned and known as Highden Manor Estate. It is not a public park.
Can I swim in the Ōroua River at Awahuri?
Do not treat the river here as a swimming spot on the strength of this guide. Check current water-quality advice from LAWA or Horizons Regional Council before any contact with the water.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.
Explore Palmerston North only lists suburbs officially recognised by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), and Awahuri is one of them. Suburb boundary: LINZ, CC BY 4.0.