10 fun facts about the small town known as Palmerston North in the North Island of New Zealand

Having spent most of my 3 years in New Zealand at Palmerston North, I have made some observations, backed by facts and evidence. This city isn’t that bad to live in, except it’s kind of small and boring.

Here are the 10 fun facts:

10) There is a Sakura Festival held annually on the International Pacific College campus, usually on the third Saturday of September (spring starts in September). It is a celebration of colors and cultures: many Japanese students wear their kimono and traditional Asian performances.

9) Palmerston North is known as ‘Student City’ because more than half of the city’s population is under the age of 33. A large portion is made up of students from Massey University, Universal College of Learning and International Pacific College.

8) Locals and students call Palmerston North Palmy. The name is too complicated and Palmy probably sounds a bit more endearing. Even though we find him boring and all sometimes, we all miss him after we leave.

7) The layout of the city looks a lot like a grid, with a square in the center. And it’s appropriately called The Square, a 7-hectare park with I-Site and town name surrounded by lawns, gardens, trees and fountains.

6) The main shopping center in Palmerston North is called The Plaza. There is only 1 cinema (several theaters of course) in this city. Fortunately, there are some good stores for general shopping.

5) There are only 12 bus routes in Palmerston North. The frequency is once every 30-60 minutes. Six of these buses lead to Massey University via different routes. The good news: students ride for free.

4) There is a rubbish hill at the local landfill called ‘Mt Cleese’. John Cleese had described Palmerston North as “the suicide capital of New Zealand” and said “if you want to kill yourself but don’t have the courage to do it, I think a visit to Palmerston North will suffice.”

3) Palmerston North International Airport does not have international flights. Previously, Freedom Air used to fly between Palmy and Australian cities on the west coast, but it stopped after March 2008.

2) There is a town of Palmerston on the South Island. Therefore, this city is called Palmerston North. It is named after Viscount Palmerston, former Prime Minister of Great Britain.

1) It may not be the most strategic place in New Zealand, but Palmerston North’s location isn’t too bad. It is 2.5 hours north of Wellington, 8 hours south of Auckland, 30 minutes east of the West Coast, and 45 minutes west of the Ruahine and Tararua Ranges (and the largest wind farm in the southern hemisphere).

This is a place that the traveler will tend to overlook or miss, since it is not located along the main state highways. In fact, most people won’t know where it is unless you’re a local or have been there at some point.

If you are going to attend any of the tertiary institutions at Palmerston North, you will have a relaxed school life there. The pace at school is much slower and there is always time for everything.