Herbertville, earlier known as Wainui after the Wainui River, is a small settlement in New Zealand's

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

, on the eastern coast of the

Tararua District The Tararua District is a Districts of New Zealand, district near the south-east corner of New Zealand's North Island that is administered by the Tararua District Council. It has a population of and an area of 4,364.62 km². The district' ...

. It lies just south of

Cape Turnagain Cape Turnagain is a prominent headland on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, part way between Hawke Bay and Cook Strait, between the mouths of the Pōrangahau and Ākitio Rivers. The cape was named by Captain James Cook Ca ...

, a promontory named by

Captain Cook Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 1768 and 1779. He complet ...

who used the location as a well-remembered point where he turned his ship and retraced his journey. As of 2023, its population is around 120. At the turn of the 20th century Herbertville was a thriving community. It had a large hotel, several shops, a police station, and a blacksmith. Schooners beached on the vast expanse of shallow sandy beach on high tides and passengers and cargoes were unloaded. The ships would then be refloated on the next high tide and would carry on their way. Horse-drawn coaches connected the settlement with the township of

Dannevirke Dannevirke ( "Earthworks (archaeology), work of the Danes", a reference to Danevirke; or ''Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua'', the area where the town is) is a rural service town in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of the North Island, New Zealand. It is the ...

via Weber. Herbertville is renowned for its strong winds. In mid-September 2023 it recorded a gust of 246 kmh, the strongest gust ever recorded in New Zealand.

References

Tararua District Populated places in Manawatū-Whanganui {{ManawatuWanganui-geo-stub