Whangamomona
| Whangamomona | ||
| Geographical location | ||
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| Coordinates | 39 ° 9 ′ S , 174 ° 44 ′ E | |
| Region ISO | NZ-MWT | |
| Country |
 New Zealand
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| region | Manawatu-Wanganui | |
| District | Stratford District | |
| Ward | Stratford Rural Ward | |
| Local foundation | 1895 | |
| Residents | 12 (2018) | |
| height | 156 m | |
| Post Code | 4396 | |
| Telephone code | +64 (0) 6 | |
| Photography of the place | ||
 Whangamomona Hotel, place of "resistance" in the settlement |
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Whangamomona is a small settlement in the Stratford District of Region Manawatu-Wanganui on the North Island of New Zealand in 1989 in protest against the administrative reform of the government in which the community was assigned to two different administrative regions divided equally, their independence proclaimed, to the Republic declared and has sincecelebrated and celebratedthis every two years with a folk festival .
Origin of name
The name of the settlement means “fertile valley” in the Māori language , where “ whanga ” stands for valley and “ momona ” for fertile.
geography
Whangamomona is located around 57 km east of New Plymouth and around 45 km northeast of Stratford , halfway between Stratford and Taumarunui and has been part of the Stratford District since the beginning . The New Zealand State Highway 43 , also known as the " Forgotten World Highway ", runs through the town and connects Stratford and Taumarunui . The Stratford - Okahukura railway line also runs through the town, but does not connect it to the existing freight transport system. The place was named after the Whangamomona River , which passes the place in a southeastern direction and later flows into the Whanganui River .
history
In March 1893 the Whangamomona valley was first explored and documented by surveyor Joshua Morgan . Two years later, the first settlers came to the valley, among them prospectors from the west coast of the South Island . Although the country was not yet released for settlement, they founded the settlement in 1895 whangamomona and gave him the nickname " Valley of Plenty " ( German : valley of abundance ). In 1901 the spelling of the place was changed to Whangamomona .
From 1897 the government released the land for sale and was quickly distributed. In 1898 the district around the place already had 187 inhabitants. Far away from the district administration, the settlers lived their independence . Being familiar with the lengthy bureaucratic processes of Stratford County Council (the administrative Stratford County ) were dissatisfied, the inhabitants declared by Whangamomona 1908 for autonomous and independent and founded their own Whangamomona County Council . The place developed until the great flood in 1924. After the destruction caused by the flood, many residents left the place, with the result of the beginning economic decline. After almost 50 years of economic activity with tight budgets, the company finally gave up its independence in 1955 and was reassigned to Stratford County Council . The big slump came in the 1960s and 1970s. The railway line, which also crossed the town and gave the people bread and work during its construction, was completed. Many lost their jobs and moved away. In the late 1970s, the population had shrunk by 70%.
Most public buildings or buildings with social functions were constructed between 1902 and 1912 and are now being restored with the assistance of Stratford District Council . Among other things, there is the Community Hall built in 1903 , which was used as a school from 1904 to 1911, the Bank of Australasia building built in 1911 , which is more like a normal residential building, the post office building built in 1912, which was used until it was closed in 1988 Post office, and of course the Whangamomona Hotel , which was opened as a restaurant in 1902 and was rebuilt in its present form after being destroyed in 1910 by a fire (1911). After the outbreak of the Spanish flu in New Zealand, the hotel was used as a hospital for the region from 1919 onwards. In 1975 the hotel was completely stopped and the building was only used as a restaurant with an event location for the region.
In 1984 the hotel was put back into operation and has been the center of the "rebellion" against the government in Wellington since 1989 . In protest against the bureaucratic decision to allocate half of the community to the newly formed Manawatu-Wanganui region and to leave the other half in the Taranaki region , independence was declared on November 1, 1989 and Whangamomona was declared the Republic of Whangamomona .
Folk festival
There are voices who call the place a ghost town today, but every two years several thousand "citizens of the republic" come together and celebrate the 1989 declaration of independence with a folk festival. In the intervening 729 days, tourists come to the small town, stay for a few photos and continue on the Forgotten World Highway . In any case, the hotel is still the central point of the place and the place of " resistance against the authorities ".
literature
- Helga Neubauer: Whangamomona . In: The New Zealand Book . 1st edition. NZ Visitor Publications , Nelson 2003, ISBN 1-877339-00-8 , pp. 506 .
- Heritage Trails -information boards on historic buildings in the village.
Web links
- About the Hotel - The Republic of Whangamomona . Whangamomona Hotel,accessed June 19, 2016.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jane Matthews : Tiny town of 12 gets new building, and a 'change in direction' . In: Stuff - Travel News . Fairfax Media , April 11, 2018, accessed October 25, 2017 .
- ^ Neubauer: Whangamomona . In: The New Zealand Book . 2003, p. 506 .
- ↑ a b Ron Lambert : Whangamomona . In: New Zealand Geographic . Issue 77 , 2006, p. 70-89 (English).
- ↑ a b c d e Forgotten World Highway 43 . wind wall - Taranaki Tourism website , archived from the original on January 21, 2015 ; accessed on August 12, 2015 (English, original website no longer available).
- ↑ a b Whangamomona Hotel . (PDF 458 kB) Strarford District Council , 2008, archived from the original on October 14, 2008 ; accessed on June 19, 2016 (English, original website no longer available).
- ^ Whangamomona gets funds for facelift . In: Taranaki Daily News Online . Fairfax Media , January 1, 2009, accessed June 19, 2016 .
- ↑ Janet Hooker : Whangamomona declares independence . In: The Daily News . New Plymouth November 2, 1989, p. 4 (English).