Get in
By car
Drive south down State Highway 1 (SH 1) from Auckland. Drive northbound on SH 1 from Taupo, or connect to SH 1 from Rotorua or the Bay of Plenty.
By plane
Hamilton International Airport hosts mostly domestic flights, with regular flights from Auckland and Wellington as well as flights from other cities. Freedom Air (http://www.freedomair.co.nz/) flies here from Melbourne, Sydney, Gold Coast and Brisbane in Australia and from Nadi in Fiji. The airport is occasionally closed by fog on winter mornings.
The airport is about 10km out of town, so allow plenty of time for airport transfers. A taxi or shuttle bus service is available but a rental car might be cheaper. Passengers who arrive on flights late in the evening on Fridays and Saturdays should arrange transport in advance as taxis can be scarce.
See
Eat
Sleep
Geography
With the exceptions of low hills around the University of Waikato, Hamilton Lake and to the west of the city, and an extensive network of gullies, the terrain of the city is relatively flat.
Demographics
Hamilton is a rapidly growing city of over 130,000 people, with around 1.5 million people – 40% of New Zealand's total population – living within a 250-km radius.
The city is growing to be a very diverse society. Many immigrants also settle in this city, mostly from the Pacific Islands. Hamilton is still largely European, mostly of British origins, but there also people of Polish, Italian, and Yugoslav origins. According to Statistics New Zealand, Hamilton's population is 79.2% Pākehā/European, 15% Māori, and the remainder mainly Asian and Pacific Islander. A significant number of African and South-East Asian immigrants have settled in Hamilton in more recent times, adding to the diversity.
Government and politics
Local government
Hamilton is located in the administrative areas of the Hamilton City Council. The Council administers the seventh most populous territorial authority in the country. The council consists of thirteen councillors and a mayor (currently Bob Simcock), and last faced election in 2004. Council elections are held every three years. From July 2007, former mayor Michael Redman (New Zealand) will become the CEO of the Council.
The council has six standing committees: City Development, Community and Leisure, Statutory Management, Transport, Finance and Audit, and Stadiums Management. There are also five sub-committees.
Hamilton City is itself part of the Waikato Region, controlled administratively by the Environment Waikato.
Central government
Hamilton has three electorate MP's in the New Zealand Parliament. The electorates are currently represented by:
General
Māori
Economy
Education and research are important to the city, through the University of Waikato, and the Waikato Institute of Technology. Research at the Ruakura center has been responsible for much of New Zealand's innovation in agriculture.
Hamilton annually hosts the National Agricultural Fieldays at Mystery Creek, the southern hemisphere's biggest agricultural trade exhibition. Mystery Creek is the country's largest event center and hosts other events of national importance, such as the National Car Show and the National Boat Show.
Manufacturing and retail are also important to the local economy, as is the provision of health services through the Waikato Base Hospital. The city is home to New Zealand's largest aircraft manufacturer, Pacific Aerospace, and has its largest concentration of trailer-boat manufacturers.
Culture
Museums and theatre
The city is host to a large number of small galleries and the Waikato Museum. The latter includes Te Winika, one of the best-preserved waka (Māori war canoe) from the pre-colonisation era.
Events
Sport
The local rugby union teams are Waikato (Air New Zealand Cup) and the Chiefs (Super 14). The local colours are red, yellow and black hoops, and the provincial mascot is Mooloo, an anthropomorphic cow. Both teams play at Waikato Stadium. Hamilton is also home to a soccer club, Waikato FC, that competes in the New Zealand Football Championship and also plays at Waikato Stadium.
Seddon Park (formerly Westpac Park) is Hamilton's main cricket venue and hosts Test matches and one day internationals. It is the home ground of the Northern Districts Cricket Association.
Hamilton is fast becoming a motorsport venue as well. The WRC was held in Hamilton in 2006 and AVESCO have confirmed the V8 Supercars from 2008 after the Hamilton City Council granted Resource Consent.
City facilities and attractions
Hamilton Gardens is the region's most popular tourist attraction and hosts the Hamilton Gardens Summer Festival each year.
Other local attractions include Hamilton Zoo, the Waikato Museum, the Arts Post art gallery, and the SkyCity casino. Just 20 minutes' drive away is Ngaruawahia, the location of Turangawaewae Marae and the home of Māori King Tuheitia Paki.
Hamilton City Theaters provides professional venue and event management at three theatrical venues in the city: Founders Theater, Clarence St Theater, and The Meteor theater.
Transportation
Air
Hamilton International Airport, undergoing a major upgrade, serves as both a domestic and international airport. There are direct flights to Wellington and Christchurch and regular flights to other destinations throughout the North Island. International flights are largely restricted to trans-Tasman and Polynesian destinations. The airport also serves as a major base for low-cost airline Freedom Air.
Road
Private cars are the transport medium of choice in this flat, spread-out city. The main geographical barrier in the city is the Waikato River. The seven bridges that cross the river are often the focus of morning and evening traffic delays.
While buses have been gaining in popularity in recent years, the relative lack of congestion compared to other cities, ample availability of parking and inconvenient bus schedules have been holding up progress. Recent additions to the bus system include audio-posts at bus-stops to provide arrival times, and improved weather shelters. A new service called "The Orbiter" provides a circuit round major centers in the city outskirts.
New Zealand's main roading artery State Highway 1 runs through Hamilton's western suburbs and connects with State Highway 3 within the city boundaries.
Rail
Hamilton is the railway junction of the East Coast Main Trunk line with the North Island Main Trunk line. Rail passengers are served by a large station located at Frankton Junction. Rail passenger services are confined to The Overlander service which operates between Auckland and Wellington.
Hamilton also has an underground station in the central city located on the East Coast Main Trunk line, currently disused.
Education
Hamilton is home to more than 25,000 tertiary students, mostly enrolled in one of the city's two main tertiary institutes, the University of Waikato and Wintec (Waikato Institute of Technology).
Notables
Sister cities
Hamilton has three sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
External links
:Hamilton City Council
:Hamilton Gardens
:What's on Hamilton
:Live City Cameras
:Waikato Museum
