Waikato

The region

Get to know Waikato

Waikato occupies the central-northern part of the North Island and is named after the Waikato River, New Zealand’s longest river, which flows from Lake Taupō to the Tasman Sea, south of Auckland. It is a region of pastureland and dairy farms, with Raglan’s surf coast to the west and the Coromandel Peninsula to the east. The capital is Hamilton.

Hamilton, the largest inland city in the country, is known for the Hamilton Gardens, a sequence of themed gardens on the riverbank. Near Matamata is Hobbiton, the Shire set from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films, preserved on a sheep farm and open on guided tours.

In Waitomo, limestone caves shelter colonies of glowworms (Arachnocampa luminosa), insect larvae found only in New Zealand whose lights carpet the cave ceilings. The Waitomo Glowworm Cave is visited on foot and by boat; other caves in the area offer tubing (black water rafting) and abseiling.

On the Coromandel Peninsula, the east coast features Hahei and Cathedral Cove, a rock arch between two beaches, and Hot Water Beach, where thermal water wells up under the sand and, near low tide, you can dig a hot pool. Whitianga, on Mercury Bay, is the region’s base, with boat trips to the Te Whanganui-A-Hei marine reserve.

To the south, Taupō sits on the shore of the country’s largest lake, formed in the caldera of a major ancient eruption. Near the town the Waikato River passes the Huka Falls, and the lake is the gateway to Tongariro National Park.