Bulls travel guide

The small agricultural service town of Bulls stands off the junction of SH3 and SH1, midway between Wanganui and Palmerston North. Blink and you’ll miss it, but take a closer look and you may be surprised to learn that the township was not named after our four-legged friends, but after James Bull, who was one of the first settlers in 1858. By all accounts he was quite the entrepreneur and created so much of the town’s infrastructure that in 1872 the government approved the replacement of the original name for the settlement – Rangitikei – with Bulls. However, our James has a lot to answer for. In the desperate effort to put Bulls on the map, the community has gone to ridiculous lengths to incorporate its name into every one of its amenities. Take a look around and you’ll find the VIC which is ‘Inform- a-Bull’, the chemist which is ‘Dispense-a-Bull, the fire station ‘Extinguish-a-Bull’, the police station ‘Const-a-Bull’ and the church, which is ‘Forgive-a-Bull’, and so it goes on. However, there are a few major omissions including, as you head out on SH3, a sign saying ‘Antiques and Collectibles’ – clearly owned by the black sheep of the town. Annoyingly, this is very infectious, and for days you will find yourself suffering from this ‘Voca-Bull-ary’ affliction. Some may find Bulls entertaining, but others may find such behaviour ‘Question-a-Bull’.