On some Saturdays we would drive up to Palmerston North (or colloquially known as Palmy), the next sizeable town nearest to us after Wellington. It’s not a particularly scenic drive up north but there is something that will definitely catch your attention along the way – the little white fans standing on top of the hills. I have always wanted to take a look from up there but how to get up there?


Access from Woodville or Ashhurst, follow the brown wind farm signs on to Saddle Road


The Manawatu Gorge creates a funnel effect – strong winds from the Tasman Sea is forced through the narrow valley and the consistently high wind speeds makes the area between the Tararua and Ruahine Ranges ideal for harnessing wind power.


Transporting and installing 55 turbines up on a hill looks like a massive project


Took me awhile to get the full 70m tall turbine and all 3 blades into my frame



A worthy stopover when passing through Palmerston North


Listening to the turbines churning away on a calm day


As the sun was setting, we quickly made our way down Saddle Road and realised we had “bypassed” the Manawatu Gorge. Once we hit Woodville, it was a difficult drive back home as we couldn’t see anything in front of us due to the fog!