Tokomaru, New Zealand

Tokomaru is a small town in the district of Horowhenua, in the southwestern North Island of New Zealand. It is located 18 kilometres southwest of Palmerston North, and a similar distance northeast of Shannon. The Tokomaru railway station on the North Island Main Trunk was open from 1885 to 1982.

At the 2018 census, Tokomaru had a population of 954, an increase of 402 people (72.8%) since the 2013 census. There were 360 occupied private dwellings and 219 unoccupied dwellings.[1]

The Tokomaru Steam Engine Museum features a collection of antique steam engine machinery, much of it still operational. The collection includes a 1904 Fowler traction engine, an 1897 Aveling & Porter portable engine and a huge 335 hp Filer & Stowell stationary engine-compressor ex the Imlay Freezing Works, Wanganui. The museum is open by appointment.[2]

Tokomaru has two public reserves, the Tokomaru Domain, which includes a sports field and hall, and Horseshoe Bend reserve.[3]

The town has a locally run combined store and post office.

There are two factories on the outskirts of Tokomaru. One, Stevensons Construction, is still operational and employs many Tokomaru residents. The other is a former dairy factory that is in the process of being renovated.[4]