Waikato, << wy KAH toh, >> is the richest farming district on the North Island of New Zealand. All parts of the district lie within about 40 miles (64 kilometers) of Hamilton, the Waikato’s only city. The district includes the plains around the lower part of the Waikato River.
Hamilton is one of New Zealand’s largest centers of population. The Ruakura Agricultural Research Centre, the Rukuhia Soil Research Station, and the Meat Research Institute are in Hamilton. New Zealand’s only private aircraft manufacturer, also based in Hamilton, supplies both local and overseas markets.
The town of Huntly, in the north, is the site of a major thermal power station. Tokoroa is a mill base for the pulp, paper, and lumber industry of NZ Forest Products Ltd. Te Awamatu is noted for its roses. Cambridge, a race horse breeding center, is renowned for its English trees and atmosphere. Ngaruawahia’s Tūrangawaewae marae, 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Hamilton, is the residence of the Māori king, Te Arikinui Tūheitia Paki.
The Waikato is one of New Zealand’s major dairying exporting regions. The New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company in Hamilton processes much of the country’s dairy products. It is the largest cooperatively owned dairying organization in the world. Meat, wool, and grain, Waikato’s other main agricultural products, supply national and international markets. The average farm size is about 170 acres (70 hectares). The Waikato pastures are among the most productive in the world.
New Zealand’s longest rail tunnel, under the Kaimai Ranges, links the Waikato with the busy port of Tauranga and international markets. The largest and busiest railroad junction in New Zealand is in Frankton, a suburb of Hamilton.
The Waikato was first settled by Māori. Europeans settled the Waikato in the early 1800’s, after the missionary William White first visited the region in 1825.
