Palmerston North Hotels

Palmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of 79,800 (June 2008 estimate). In 2008 it was the 11th-largest city in New Zealand, and the centre of the seventh-largest urban area. A large proportion of its population consists of students attending Massey University, Universal College of Learning (UCOL) or International Pacific College during the student year. Over half of the city's population is under the age of 25 and the city has been marketed as 'Student City'. The city was first named "Palmerston", in honour of Viscount Palmerston, a former Prime Minister of Great Britain. The suffix "North” was added in 1871 by the Post Office to distinguish the settlement from Palmerston in the South Island, though locals still widely refer to the city simply as Palmerston or "Palmy". Locals are known as Palmerstonians. Palmerston North covers an area of 325.94 square kilometres (126 sq mi) and one million people live within a two-hour drive (200 km/120 mile radius). It is about 140 km (87 mi) north of the capital, Wellington, in the eastern part of the Manawatu Plains, and close to the northern bank of the Manawatu River. It is 35 km (22 mi) from the river's mouth and 12 km (7 mi) from the end of the Manawatu Gorge. The official limits of the city take in rural areas to the south and north-east of the main urban area, extending to the Tararua Ranges and including the town of Ashhurst at the mouth of the Manawatu Gorge. This is a rich and fertile agricultural area.