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| Eketahuna | |
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| Country |  New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Region | Manawatu-Wanganui |
| Territorial authority | Tararua District |
| Ward | South Tararua |
| Electorate | Wairarapa |
| Government | |
| - MP | John Hayes (National) |
| - Mayor | Maureen Reynolds |
| Population | |
| - Urban | 579 |
| Time zone | NZST (UTC+12) |
| - Summer (DST) | NZDT (UTC+13) |
| Postcode | 4900 |
| Area code(s) | 06 |
Eketahuna is a small rural service town, the most southerly in the Tararua District in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is sometimes considered to be in northern Wairarapa. It was originally called Mellenskov, but was renamed soon after its founding.[1]
The town is located at the foot of the Tararua Ranges which lie to the west. It is 35 kilometres north of Masterton and a similar distance south of Palmerston North. It is situated on State Highway 2 and the eastern bank of the Makakahi River.
Eketahuna is considered by some to be the epitome of stereotypical rural New Zealand towns, and is occasionally used in conversation to represent "the real New Zealand". The 2001 census recorded Eketahuna's population at 579.
New Zealanders colloquially refer to the town of Eketahuna the way other English speakers refer to Timbuktu, i.e., the middle of nowhere, "the sticks", the end of the world. Likewise, Eketahuna is a booming metropolis compared to the mythical town of Waikikamukau (pronounced "Why-kick-a-moo-cow").
The Mount Bruce bird sanctuary is located to the south of the town.
Trivia: the name of the town, when spoken, sounds like a sentence in Afrikaans which translates to "I have a chicken". This is a source of amusement to immigrant Afrikaans-speaking South Africans in New Zealand.
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