Pahiatua County: a survey of the county with emphasis on the oldest established and most intensive agricultural area - the Mangahao-Mangatainoka valleys

Abstract

Pahiatua County lies in the centre of the southern part of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the most northern area of the Wairarapa, and is the centre of what is locally known as the 'Bush District', or 'Seventy Mile Bush', an historical appellation derived from the nature and extent of the area before settlement, in contrast to the open, tree-less terrain of the Southern Wairarapa and the Takapau Plains, to the south and north respectively. The western and eastern boundaries of the County are two large mountain ranges, the Tararua Range on the west and the Puketoi Range on the east. Although those eastern and western boundaries follow major relief features, effectively separating the County from adjoining areas, the northern and southern boundaries are very much man-defined, that is, boundaries drawn on the map without regard to physical features. Nevertheless, the County is a compact administrative unit, and geographically, could be termed self-contained, with the exception that its markets lie beyond the County - that is, export oriented.