Hamilton, New Zealand's fourth-largest city, lies in the fertile plain of the Waikato River. The country's only inland city, it has developed spectacularly since 1950. It has a university and several agricultural and food-science research institutes, including the Meat Industry Research Institute of New Zealand.
The military settlement of Hamilton was established in 1864, after the end of the land war in the Waikato area, on the site of an abandoned Maori village. Instead of being paid the soldiers were given land to cultivate. The town is named after Captain John Hamilton, who was killed in the Battle of Gate Pa, near Tauranga on the Bay of Plenty.
The museum has a large collection of Maori material, particularly on the Tainui tribe. Its prize exhibit is a carved war canoe of 1845. Also of interest are examples of modern woodcarving and weaving from Ngaruawahia.
The Hamilton Gardens on the banks of the Waikato River are particularly beautiful when the roses are in bloom. An excursion steamer, the Waipa Delta, plies along the river.
On the lower course of the Waikato River, 33km north of Hamilton, is the town of Huntly (pop. 7,000). Here the river cuts through two huge coalfields that were opened in the 1840s. The coal deposits were systematically surveyed by the geologist Ferdinand von Hochstetter in 1859. After a number of serious accidents in the underground workings opencast mining started in 1940. There are now, however, two new underground mines.
Huntly's coal-fired power station was completed in 1981. Its twin cooling towers, 150m high, are prominent features of the landscape.
Address: Waikato District Visitor Information Centre, 160 Great South Road, Huntly, Waikato , New Zealand
Northeast of Matamata is the Kaimai Range, through which there are a number of trails. One particularly attractive trip is to the imposing Wairere Falls, 150m high. The trail takes off from the Matamata-Okauia-Gordon road.
Southeast of Cambridge is Lake Karapiro, a 24km long reservoir supplying the Karapiro hydroelectric station (viewing is possible). It is the lowest of a chain of power stations on the Waikato that were brought into operation in 1948.
Pirongia Forest Park (15km west of Te Awamutu), centerd on an extinct volcano (959m), can be explored on a network of trails with mountain huts and fine views.
17km north of Huntly is Rangiriri, which in 1863, during the land wars, was the scene of a bloody encounter between British troops and Maoris. It was only after two unsuccessful assaults on the Maori stronghold here that it finally fell to the British. The main fortifications stand on the west side of Highway 1.
7km north of Ngaruawahia, on the banks of the Waikato, is Taupiri Mountain (288m). The hill, which to the Maoris is sacred, was returned to them by the government only in 1975. On the slopes of the hill, which has been fortified since early times, is the tapu burial place of the Maori kings.
53km northeast of Hamilton on Highway 26 is the long-established spa resort of Te Aroha situated at the foot of the hill of the same name on the fringes of the Kaimai Range. It still preserves its turn-of-the 19th C. Victorian bathhouses and spa establishments. There are three different mineral springs, whose water is used both for drinking and bathing. The old bathhouse No. 1 has been replaced by a modern establishment. From Mount Te Aroha (952 m; trails, shuttle bus) there are beautiful views. Within easy reach of Te Aroha are the Kaimai Range (trails) and the imposing Wairere Falls (150m high).
Address: Information Te Aroha, 102 Whitaker Street, Te Aroha, Waikato , New Zealand
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Christmas Eve - Christian (December 24), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Day after Christmas, St Stephen's Day, Boxing Day (December 26)
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Taharoa, Hamilton
Bridal Veil Falls, Hamilton
Taharoa, Hamilton
