thisNZlife

FOXTON

Te Awahou

Visitors from the south first see Foxton's massive, and not entirely attractive, water tower. Hopefully, they quickly spot the intriguing circling blades of the replica 17th-century Dutch windmill closeby and are intrigued enough to turn off to discover what may be one of the country's most under-rated small towns. Soda-loving New Zealanders will know it for Foxton Fizz (made here since 1918 and only recently moved to Auckland). But there's a lot more going on one block back from SH1.

Foxton is big on its history — including its Māori and Dutch heritage (see page 70), and its now-vanished flax industry. All this and more is celebrated and remembered in the Riverside Cultural Park, centred around that visible, unusual-for-New Zealand windmill. Foxton Beach, 7km from the town, has excellent cafés, restaurants and what's possibly the best pump track in the country. It also has the Manawatū Estuary, a wetland that's one of the world's most important.

It's an ideal destination for beach-lovers, birdwatchers, and wheeled-up youngsters.

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2021-11-12T08:00:00.0000000Z

2021-11-12T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://thisnzlife.pressreader.com/article/283343295059606

NZ Lifestyle Magazine Group