Shannon is a town of 1,600 people (2021) in the Manawatu region of the lower North Island of New Zealand. It is on SH 57 between Levin and Palmerston North.

Get in

By car

Shannon is 110 km north of Wellington. Follow SH1 to Levin and the take SH57 to Shannon.

By bus

Intercity buses call at Shannon from Auckland, Wellington, Napier, Gisborne, Tauranga and New Plymouth. The bus stop for north bound buses is the bus shelter at 6 Ballance Street, and for south bound buses it is outside toilets at 7 Ballance Street.

By train

Kiwirail runs a train once per day Monday to Friday (not holidays) from Wellington departing at 5:15PM, calling at Paraparaumu and Levin, arriving at Shannon at 6:57PM, and continuing to Palmerston North. The morning service to Wellington leaves Shannon at 6:38AM.

• 1 Shannon railway station. (updated Jun 2020)

Get around

By car or on foot

See

• 1 Mangahao Hydroelectric Power Station and dams. An operational power station, built between 1919 and 1924. (updated Feb 2017)
• Poutu Marae. (updated Feb 2017)
• 2 Shannon Railway Station. The station was built in 1893, with extension in 1902, 1910 and 1936. For the expert it is a Modified Vogel class 4 station. (updated Feb 2017)

Do

• Go kayaking at the Mangahao White Water Park 300m slalom course.
• Visit the Mangahao dams by trail bike.
• 1 Buckley Golf Club. (updated Feb 2017)

Buy

• 1 Four Square Supermarket, Plimmer Terrace. Su-Th 7AM-7PM, F Sa 7AM-9PM. (updated Feb 2017)

Eat

• Take a break from driving and have lunch or a snack at the local cafe or tea rooms.

Drink

• Club Hotel, Ballance St.

Sleep

• 1 Club Hotel, 2 Ballance St, ☏ +64 6 362-7800. Budget accommodation. (updated Feb 2017)

Go next

• Levin
• Palmerston North