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Geographically, Waikato is located in New Zealand, on the western and the north-eastern part of the North Island, from where it stretches up to the slopes of Mount Ruapehu from the southern side to the northern side of the Coromandel Peninsula. The main river of this region is the Waikato River, which is also New Zealand’s longest river running through the main regional centres of Hamilton.
The name for this region originated from the name of Waikato River, which is traditional Maori word meaning ‘flowing water’. The landscape of Waikato includes rolling hills, mountain ranges, flat floodplains and volcanoes in the Taupo volcanic zone.
The other rivers of this region include Mokau, Awakino, Piako and Waihou. In earlier times, this river used to be an important waterway for steamboats and even today, there are replicas of the same boats offering cruises on the river. One of the unique features of this region is that it includes all or some part of eleven territorial authorities, which is also the maximum by any other regions of New Zealand.
During the mid-nineteenth century, Waikato was the centre of many significant battles including the Maori land wars, which is visible from its museums and other historical monuments. Hamilton is the main urban centre for Waikato and the major towns are of Tokoroa, Te Awamutu, Taupo and Cambridge. The University of Waikato and Wintec is also located in this region.
The landscape along with adventure sports activities is some of the primary reasons which attract tourists in large numbers to this region. Some of the major tourist spots here are Waitomo Caves, Waikato River, Surfing town of Raglan and the Otorohanga Kiwi house.
The festivals and celebrations here include the traditional Maori food festival better known by the name of Kawhia Kai Festival held annually and the art festivals held at Hamilton gardens.
Waikato is New Zealand’s dairy region and consists of the Ruakura Research Centre, which is an internationally acclaimed dairy research centre. The resident population of Waikato is more than 409,300 people approximately and it covers a total land area up to 25, 000 square km, which makes it the fourth largest region in New Zealand in terms of both population and area.
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