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The name 'Hawera' means 'The Burned Place' this comes from the fact that a Maori Pa at Whareroa was destroyed by fire. In 1888 and 1912 the town suffered further fires which destroyed part of the business district. The town erected a Water Tower in 1913 to help fight the fires. The Water Tower is one of the town's landmarks and can be climbed to look at the views.
Places of Interest in Hawera
Dairyland Visitor Centre - learn about the largest dairy manufacturing site in the world.
Tawhiti Museum - this award winning private museum has life-sized and scale model displays of South Taranaki history.
The Kevin Wasley Elvis Memorial Room - see what has been described as the "best and most extensive collection of Elvis memorabilia in Australasia".
Hawera has a population of over 12,000 people. It functions as the service centre of South Taranaki. The town has two lovely parks, excellent sporting and recreational facilities, great surfing beaches, rivers for fishing and picnicing and an aquatic centre. Several of the local gardens are open to the public during the Taranaki Rhododendron Festival which usually runs in November each year. |