About the town » Patea, South Taranaki District, Taranaki, New Zealand

Patea is the third-largest town in South Taranaki, New Zealand. It is on the western bank of the Patea River, 61 kilometres north-west of Wanganui on State Highway 3. Hawera is 27 km to the north-west, and Waverley 17 km to the east. The Patea River flows through the town from the north-east and into the South Taranaki Bight. For the former electorate from 1893 to 1963 see Patea. The population in the 2006 Census was 1143, a decrease of 159 from 2001.