Featherston, New Zealand

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Featherston is a town in the south of the Wellington Region region of New Zealand. It lies in the Wairarapa, just north of the Rimutaka Tunnel, in the South Wairarapa District. The population was 3,419 in 2006.

The town is on the eastern side of the Rimutaka Range close to the northern shore of Lake Wairarapa. It is 37 km south-west of Masterton and 29 km east of Upper Hutt.

The Featherston Military Training Camp was a major training camp in World War I. In World War II it became the Featherston prisoner of war camp. The town gained notoriety in 1943 when 122 Japanese Prisoners of War in the camp were shot (48 dead, 74 wounded), after guards believed they were about to be attacked by the prisoners.

Featherston houses the world's only surviving Fell locomotive engine in the Fell Engine Museum.

There is a hill to the west of the town known as One Tree Hill (not to be confused with the One Tree Hill in Auckland). Although it is covered in trees, one lone tree stands tall above all others near the summit. A walking track leads up to the tree and down the other side of the hill. The area around the top of the hill and around the entrance to the track has been upgraded in recent years, with picnic tables and a new path that goes to the top, giving a different view of the township. A barrier restricts access to the tree to stop people walking on the roots and discourage vandalism.

Featherston has four primary schools nearby; St. Teresa's School, Featherston School, Kahutara Primary, and South Featherston School. It once had a high school (Featherston District High School) that closed in the mid 1960s.

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This article does not cite any references or sources. (April 2008)
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