Waverley

Waverley has a number of cafes and coffee shops and is a popular place for tourists to stop for a break before entering the Taranaki region.

Waverley and surrounding community has a South Taranaki District Council LibraryPlus, which provides a full library service and Council related services. These services include being able to register your dog, pay your rates or inquire about obtaining a building permit. Other services include a Tot Time for the under 5s and book club catering to intermediate and high school age children. The LibraryPlus also has three APN computers, offering free internet and Skype to the public.

Waverley has a small skate park as well as a playground in the town park that can be seen off the main road that runs through Waverley. Also on Brassy St there is a small dirt jump track for push bikes. The locals call it the BMX track. The cave at Waverley’s cave beach is collapsing due to erosion.

Waverley has a large sawmill which employs around 48 staff. The mill is the only major sawmill as far as New Plymouth in the north and Levin in the south.

History: Wairoa’s name was changed to Waverley in 1876 to avoid confusion with other towns called Wairoa. Many of the area’s early settlers came from Scotland – they chose the new name in memory of Sir Walter Scott, whose books had become known as the Waverley novels.

It was an important colonial stronghold during the land wars of the 1860s, during which time the town was called Wairoa. The town is well known for its farming and thoroughbred stables. The race horse Kiwi was trained in the paddocks of a Waverley sheep farm by owner Snow Lupton, and went on to go from last on the final bend to win the 1983 Melbourne Cup.