Draft:Himatangi Beach

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Himatangi Beach is a small coastal community in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located 32 kilometres west of Palmerston North In the centre of the largest sand dune geographical feature in New Zealand.Situated on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island, this beach services Palmerston North, Feilding and the entire Manawatu-Wanganui.It has a long sandy beach accessible to vehicles.Its coastal climate differs from the Manawatu-Wanganui with more sunshine hours, less rain and higher temperatures.Himatangi Beach has a population of around 600 residents swelling to several thousand in the summer months. Its population is varied with artisans, commuters, first home buyers, weekenders and retired, all living together in a homogenous mix.HistoryThe oldest known inhabitants of the Himatangi area are the Rangitane people, believed to have settled in the Manawatu region around 500 years ago.Rangitane tradition says the name Himatangi was derived from a legend about a famous warrior chief, Matangi, who fished up and killed a taniwha (water monster) responsible for eating his relatives. The taniwha lived in a lake near the present village of Rangiotu - 19 kilometers from Himatangi Beach. The verb Hi (to fish) was added to create the name Himatangi.The coastline, whichlater became known as Himatangi Beach, was a seasonal gathering place for Maori who camped there specifically to catch and eat fish and shellfish. Leaving the shell in piles called middens they created a fascinating archeological record of what the area once looked like. Oven stones and charcoal have been found among the hundreds of middens known to exist behind the first two rows of sand dunes, where the beachline sat in the 1800s. The oldest known middens can be found near a series of lagoons 4 kilometers inland, indicating where the beachline was 500 years ago.