Sights in Waikato & The King Country
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Glow-worm Cave
The 45-minute guided tour of the Glow-worm Cave, which is behind the visitor centre, leads past impressive stalactites and stalagmites into a large cavern known as the Cathedral. The acoustics are so good that Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and the Vienna Boys Choir have given concerts here. The highlight comes at the tour’s end when you board a boat and swing off onto the river. As your eyes grow accustomed to the dark you’ll see a Milky Way of little lights surrounding you – these are the glowworms. You can see them in lots of other places in NZ, but the ones in this cave are something special. Conditions for their growth are just about perfect so there are a remarkable number of …
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Raglan & District Museum
The small, musty Raglan & District Museum explores the stories of local Maori and Pakeha pioneers through artefacts, photos and newspapers.
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Rangiriri Heritage Centre
As you follow SH1 south you’re retracing the route of the colonial army in the spectacular land grab that was the Waikato War. On 20 November 1863, 1500 British troops (some say it was 850 – either way, there was a lot of ‘em), backed by gunboats and artillery, attacked the substantial fortifications erected by the Maori king’s warriors at Rangiriri. They were repulsed a number of times and lost 49 men, but overnight many of the 500 Maori defenders retreated; the remaining 183 were taken prisoner the next day after the British gained entry to the pa (fortified village) by conveniently misunderstanding a flag of truce. It’s worth stopping at the Rangiriri Heritag…
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Hobbiton Movie Set & Farm Tours
Hobbiton Movie Set & Farm Tours is the country’s top attraction for LOTR -ites, and pretty interesting even if you haven’t seen the movies. Due to copyright, all of the intricately constructed movie sets around the country had to be destroyed, but Hobbiton’s owners successfully negotiated to keep the hobbit holes, albeit without their wonderful exteriors. Still, for the devotee (of which there are many), it’s an opportunity to let your imagination fly. Also on offer is a hands-on Sheep Farm Experience, explaining all things woolly. Free transfers leave from the Matamata i-SITE. Otherwise, head towards Cambridge and turn right into Puketutu Rd and then left into Bu…
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Maungatautari Ecological Island
Can a landlocked volcano become an island paradise? Inspired by the success of pest eradication and native species reintroduction in the Hauraki Gulf, a community trust has erected 47km of pest-proof fence around the triple peaks of Maungatautari (797m) to create the impressive Maungatautari Ecological Island. This atoll of rainforest dominates the skyline between Te Awamutu and Karapiro and is now home to its first kiwi chicks in 100 years. The shortest route to the peak (an hour and 40 minutes) is from the northern side while the entire north–south walk will take around six hours. Take Maungatautari Rd then Hicks Rd if coming from Karapiro, or Arapuni Rd then Tari Rd fr…
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Hamilton Gardens
Stretching over 50 hectares of riverbank southeast of the centre, Hamilton Gardens incorporates a large park, cafe, restaurant and extravagantly themed enclosed gardens. The Paradise Garden Collection has separate Italian Renaissance, Chinese, Japanese, English, American and Indian gardens complete with colonnades, pagodas, dovecotes, raked sand and a mini Taj Mahal. Equally interesting is the Productive Garden Collection with its model family-sized sustainable garden, a fragrant herb garden and the precolonisation Maori Te Parapara garden. Look out for the impressive Nga Uri O Hinetuparimaunga (Earth Blanket) sculpture at the main roadside gates.
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Ruakuri Cave
Culturally significant Ruakuri Cave has an impressive 15m-high spiral staircase, removing the need to trample through the Maori burial site at the cave entrance (as tourists did for 84 years). Tours lead through 1.6km of the 7.5km system, taking in vast caverns with glowworms, subterranean streams and waterfalls, and intricate limestone structures. For as long as this cave has been open to the public, people have described it as spiritual – some claim it’s haunted. It’s customary to wash your hands when leaving to remove the tapu. Tours depart from the Legendary Black Water Rafting Company.
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Turangawaewae Marae
Ngaruawahia (population 4940), 19km north of Hamilton on SH1, is the headquarters of the Maori King movement. The impressive fences of Turangawaewae Marae maintain the privacy of this important place, but twice a year visitors are welcomed. Ask at the post office (3 Jesmond St) for directions. Regatta Day is held in mid-March, with waka races and all manner of Maori cultural activities. For a week from 15 August the marae is open to celebrate Koroneihana, the anniversary of the coronation of the current king, Tuheitia. Call ahead to find out about the opening day’s flag-raising ceremony and history tours.
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Riff Raff
One of Hamilton’s more unusual public artworks is a life-size statue of Rocky Horror Picture Show writer Richard O’Brien in the guise of Riff Raff, the time-warping alien from the planet Transsexual. It looks over a small park on the site of the former Embassy Theatre where O’Brien worked as a hairdresser. The Embassy’s ‘late-night double-feature picture shows’ found a place in the ultimate cult classic – although it’s hard to imagine 1960s Hamilton inspired the tale of bisexual alien decadence.
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Mt Pirongia
The main attraction of the 17,000-hectare Pirongina Forest Park is Mt Pirongia, its 959m summit clearly visible from much of the Waikato. The mountain is usually climbed from Corcoran Rd (three to five hours, one-way). Interestingly, NZ’s tallest known kahikatea tree (66.5m) grows on the mountainside. There’s a six-bunk DOC hut near the summit if you need to spend the night. Maps and information are available from DOC in Hamilton.
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Firth Tower
Firth Tower was built by Auckland businessman Josiah Firth after acquiring 56,000 acres from his friend Wiremu Tamihana, chief of Ngati Haua. The 18m concrete tower (1882) was a fashionable status symbol rather than for defensive purposes. It’s filled with Maori and pioneer artefacts and around it are 10 other historic buildings (closed Tuesday and Wednesday), including a schoolroom, church and jail. It’s 3km east of town.
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Te Awamutu Museum
Te Awamutu Museum, ‘where history never repeats’, has a True Colours– painted shrine to local heroes Tim and Neil Finn. There are gold records, original lyrics and Finn memorabilia and oddities such as Neil’s form-two exercise book. There’s also a fine collection of Maori taonga (treasures), including the revered ‘Uenuku’, and an excellent display on the Waikato War. A great little museum.
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Waikato Museum
The excellent Waikato Museum has five main areas: an art gallery; interactive science galleries; Tainui galleries housing Maori treasures, including the magnificently carved waka taua (war canoe) Te Winika; a Hamilton history exhibition entitled ‘Never a Dull Moment’; and a Waikato River exhibition. The museum also runs a rigorous program of public events.
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Hamilton Zoo
Hamilton Zoo houses 500-plus species and takes part in conservation breeding projects. The rotating ‘Meet the Keeper’ program provides interesting information from the critters’ caregivers…and it has NZ’s only tapir! The zoo is 8km from the city centre: take Norton Rd off Tristram St, then SH23 west towards Raglan, turn right at Newcastle Rd and then left onto Brymer Rd.
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Otorohanga Kiwi House Native Bird Park
The Otorohanga Kiwi House Native Bird Park has a nocturnal enclosure where you can see active kiwi energetically digging with their long beaks, searching for food. This is the only place in NZ where you can see a Great Spotted Kiwi, the biggest of the three kiwi species. Other native birds, such as kaka, kea, falcon, morepork and weka, are also on show.
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Museum of Caves
This museum has excellent exhibits explaining how caves are formed, the flora and fauna that thrive in them and the history of Waitomo's caves and cave exploration. Displays include a cave model, fossils of extinct birds and animals that have been discovered in caves, and a cave crawl. Free entry is included with various activities.
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Aranui Cave
Three kilometres west from the Glow-worm Cave is Aranui Cave. This cave is dry (hence no glowworms) but compensates with an incredible array of limestone formations. Thousands of tiny ‘straw’ stalactites hang from the ceiling. It’s an hour’s walk to the caves, otherwise the visitors centre can arrange transport.
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Altura Gardens & Wildlife Park
At this privately run five-acre park you can chat with a cockatoo, outstare a morepork or pat a blue-tongue lizard. There are 85 species of birds and animals here, but it’s not a zoo – expect llamas and sheep rather than lions and giraffes. It also runs leisurely horse treks.
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Tainui Historical Society Museum
The town’s Tainui Historical Society Museum has an interesting collection of old photographs and artefacts (pianolas, whale bones, dusty photos of the Queen) from the time when this once-isolated outpost was a coal and lumber shipping port for settlements along the river.
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Nikau Cave
Keep on the coastal road south past Port Waikato and turn inland on SH22 to reach Nikau Cave, where a tour (minimum two people) will take you through tight wet squeezes to glowworms, limestone formations and subterranean streams. There’s a cafe here, too.
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ArtsPost
ArtsPost, near the Waikato Museum, is a contemporary gallery and gift shop housed in the grand former post office. It focuses on the best of local art: paintings, glass, prints, textiles and photography. Check out the awesome floorboards.
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Shearing Shed
At the Shearing Shed, big, fluffy, surprisingly sociable Angora rabbits are sheared for an audience (12.45pm daily). It’s SPCA-approved and the rabbits really don’t seem to mind. The store sells Angora products.
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Waitomo Caves Discovery Centre
Adjoining the i-SITE, this Waitomo Caves Discovery Centre has excellent exhibits explaining how caves are formed, the flora and fauna that thrive in them and the history of Waitomo’s caves and cave exploration.
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Maori War & Early Settlers Cemetery
Across the road to the Rangiriri Heritage Centre is the Maori War & Early Settlers Cemetery, which houses the soldiers’ graves and a mound covering the mass grave of 36 Maori warriors.
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Rose Garden
The Rose Garden is next to the i-SITE and has 2000 bushes and 51 varieties with fabulously fruity names like Big Daddy, Disco Dancer, Lady Gay and Sexy Rexy. The roses usually bloom from November to April.
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