Woodville is at the northern end of the Tararua Range and the southern end of the Ruahines. In Māori history, it appears to have been a traveller's rest spot and a place for hunters to rest after they had walked from one side of the Manawatu Gorge to the other. The local iwi were Rangitane, descended from Whatonga of the Kurahaupo canoe. They maintained strong and positive relations with other tribes for the most part.