Central Energy Trust Arena

It is an odd thing for a city centre. The Arena Manawatu sits in Palmerston North, but the ground tells a different story from the town around it. It is a modern picture, and that is the first point to make. The original pavilion burned down in 1977, and the current stand was rebuilt and opened in April 1981. It has stood there since. The concrete work has not changed much since.

You can see it in the third image, curving around the green grass where the rugby teams play. The Manawatu Turbos used to play rugby union here, and the Hurricanes from Super Rugby have played matches on the pitch, but the track suggests a different life before them. The capacity is listed as 15,000 for the permanent seats, though the crowd swelled to 19,500 for a match against Australia on 25 June 1993 . That is the highest number recorded, and the track was part of the scene then too.

The most recent change came in 2015 when the naming rights were sold to the Central Energy Trust. Before that, the walls carried the names FMG Stadium and Arena 1. It is a sports ground that has been through several lives, from the showgrounds of 1886 to a multi-purpose venue for concerts and rugby. The track is still there, and the sun still falls on the concrete steps in the same way as it did in 1981.