Neat People: Jemma & Adam's Guide to Palmerston North

We’ve both been in Palmerston North from day one. We’re lucky to share lots of the same interests like design, bicycles, cooking, music, reading, art, race cars, and the great outdoors.

Adam has Central Bicycle Studio, and Jemma has JCDC (Jemma Cheer Design Company). Our businesses are neighbours and many of our clients are friends.

Mouthwater Coffee Company during the work week, Sublime Coffee Roasters in the weekends.

We'll be picking up some baked treats from Knead to serve with some coffee at home. From there, we might head out to Te Āpiti Manawatū Gorge for a walk, then coffee at Gorge Quarter, or a bike ride along the river, stopping at Coffee On Ascot.

If the weather isn’t great, we might head to Te Manawa or Bruce McKenzie for a browse. The afternoon would involve a good catch-up at Brew Union, followed by dinner at one of our favourite spots, Phnom Penh.

If we’re lucky and our friends aren’t sick of us by this point, we’ll head to a gig at The Stomach, a show at Centrepoint Theatre, or the Speedway.

We walk or ride the river path almost daily. You can go all the way out to Linton, or dip into the beautiful bush tracks in Victoria Esplanade, then climb up Te Motu o Poutoa (aka Pork Chop Hill) for a view. On the weekends, we’ve been loving the new shared paths at Te Āpiti.

A night at the Speedway really can’t be beat here. There’s a crowd, there’s the sun setting, and always great racing. We’re also big fans of the Fred Graham ‘Falling Waters’ sculpture, which you can find on the side of the Palmy Conference and Function Centre in town – go push the button, it’s perfect.

Phnom Penh during the week, or Brew Union in the weekend if we’re going out. Tony’s Pizza, Star Of India, or Pacha’s Kebabs if we’re ordering in. 

The balance. Which is not a single thing, but all the things working together and adding up. Sort of like Fred’s ‘Falling Waters’ is talking about. We get to spend time with such awesome people, making the most of what comes our way. This city allows us to pursue our ideas and dreams.