New Zealand · Manawatu-Wanganui · Palmerston North
Awapuni, Palmerston North — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Awapuni is a Palmerston North suburb south west of Palmerston North Central, built around Awapuni Racecourse.
About Awapuni
Where to stay in Awapuni
The right area depends on your trip — here's what each neighbourhood is best for.
Streets of houses make up most of Awapuni. Beds cluster in Palmerston North Central rather than out here, so a base beside Awapuni Racecourse trades walkable streets for quiet and a short drive back into the city. Race days are the exception.
Anyone tied to a meeting at the racecourse gains from staying in Awapuni; anyone here for Palmerston North itself does better nearer Palmerston North Central.
About Awapuni
What are the main landmarks in Awapuni?
Awapuni keeps one listed monument. It is the Awapuni Medical Corps Memorial, raised for the New Zealand Army Medical Corps and standing on the grounds of Awapuni Racecourse rather than in any civic square. Racing gave the site its shape.
Everything else a visitor might tick off, from museums to the older churches, belongs to Palmerston North rather than to this south western suburb.
What is the history of Awapuni?
Water named this place. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives blocked-up river as the translation of Awapuni, so the oldest recorded fact about this corner of Manawatū-Whanganui concerns a waterway. Racing and war supply the later record: the Awapuni Medical Corps Memorial marks the New Zealand Army Medical Corps at Awapuni Racecourse, which ties this Palmerston North suburb to a national institution.
Where is Awapuni?
Awapuni occupies the south western side of Palmerston North, inside Manawatū-Whanganui, with Palmerston North Central beyond it.
More areas in Palmerston North
Updated August 2026