Waipawa Pavement Walk, Central Hawke's Bay
The Waipawa Pavement walk guides visitors through significant historical areas of Waipawa.
Begin this easy one-hour walk at the Heritage Trail Board in the carpark beside the Central Hawke's Bay Museum.
Waipawa has the distinction of being one of New Zealand’s earliest inland towns. Frederick Sedgewick Abbott, early settler and runholder, was instrumental in the town’s formation. By 1854, Abbott had obtained a grazing licence for 9600 acres, with its southern boundary the Waipawa River. It was on this land that the township of Abbottsford was laid out, and on 20 February 1860 the first sections were sold by public auction.
Early travellers referred to the place as Abbott’s Ford, alluding to the place where all forded the river, (the actual ford being between the present railway and traffic bridges). This was the name F.S. Abbott chose for his run and later his township. Gradually, however, the name reverted back to its Māori name – Waipawa, meaning smoky water.
The walk will take visitors to a range of significant points within the town.
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