Ōwhango is a small town in New Zealand situated about south of Taumarunui on State Highway 4 (SH4), and about west of the Whakapapa River, a tributary of the nascent Whanganui River. Ōwhango has been the official name since 16 July 2020. It is a Māori name that translates as "the place of wheezy noises". The village features a backdrop of native forest and Mount Ruapehu, with native birds like tūī and kererū. The domain, set amongst native forest, includes large open playing fields, children's play area and two tennis courts. The Main Trunk Line passes through Ōwhango on the western side of State Highway 4, with two crossing points for vehicles, one controlled (Owhango Road, centrally located) and the other uncontrolled (Onematua Road, on the northern boundary). From 1905 to 1985 Ōwhango had a railway station. Geography Ōwhango is located on the 39° latitude line, placing it on the boundary of the old Auckland Province and Wellington Province. Halfway through Ōwhango is a sign marking "39° South". This sign is accurate (to within a few metres) when using NZ Geodetic Datum 1949. The position of 39° South when using WGS84 (or NZ Geodetic Datum 2000) is about 196 metres further south, but this is not marked. The native forest is part of the Ohinetonga Scenic Reserve which contains unlogged old growth native forest containing some forest giants and a pretty lagoon accessible from a looped walking track. A road through the reserve, signposted from the State Highway, leads down to the view from the old logging bridge over the Whakapapa River. Along the river are memorable picnic spots with superb swimming pools containing rainbow and brown trout. It is also a launch point for kayakers heading for Kakahi, or even further down the Whanganui River. Beyond the bridge is the vast expanse of Tongariro Forest Conservation Area, once the source of timber for local mills, but now protected as conservation land thanks to a successful campaign in the 1980s led by local people to save the forest from clearance. Bisecting the forest is one of New Zealand's best mountain bike rides, the 42 Traverse. The forest also has excellent tramping, camping and deer hunting opportunities. In the heart of the regenerating forest is one of only a handful of national kiwi sanctuaries where the Department of Conservation controls alien predators to protect a population of the North Island Brown