Hamilton,
New Zealand,

Hamilton is a city in the Waikato, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is often described as New Zealand's largest inland city, a claim that impresses nobody who has been to the other two. It is home to a river (The Waikato), a university (The University of Waikato), a newspaper (The Waikato Times), a beer (Kahikatea - Waikato is brewed elsewhere), a provincial rugby team (Waikato), a professional rugby team (The Waikato Chiefs), the author, and 108,426 other citizens.

Urban Hamilton has prospered with the rich Waikato, which is mostly to be found underneath farms. The Waikato region covers 1,755,461 hectares, three quarters of which is dedicated to agriculture and horticulture. 2,324,590 cows, 3,367,980 sheep, and 79,485 pigs cohabit 11,428 farms; fortunately they get along well. There are more sheep, but the Waikato is known as a dairy centre: the last time I checked, 26% of the country's cows lived here, but only 7% of its sheep.

These pages, however, are devoted to the city, rather than the greater Waikato region. Herein I describe some of Hamilton's many attractions, as they were at the turn of the millenium. I do not anticipate many changes in Hamilton over the next century, so plan to next update these pages in January of 2102. I may add the occasional editorial note, if necessity dictates.

If you're planning an evening's entertainment in Hamilton, you might examine Tim's excellent Guide to Places of Food for advice on where to dine, and then David's Upcoming Hamilton Theatre Page for a list of performances you might attend. If nothing there is to your taste, you might consider the Village or Rialto Cinemas. If all these sources of entertainment information fail you, then the official Hamilton event guide will probably do the same.

These pages are not the only representation Hamilton has on the Internet; indeed, they were inspired by the inimitable McKay family virtual tour. It seems that Hamilton has rediscovered the Internet over the last few months, so I have taken the liberty of constructing a index to Hamilton on the Internet

Copyright 1999-2002 by Gordon Paynter and Jane Gregson.
Last updated January 2002. Thanks to everyone who aided and abetted.

Disclaimer: all the commentaries herein are personal opinions only and should not be taken seriously. If you have any suggestions, or would like to write something for me, it's not too late to make a difference: this website is updated regularly, on April the first every year (except this year). If you wish to take offence, Jane suggests the ugly concrete one next to the Victoria Street McDonalds. She's a bit silly like that.