Hamilton & Waikato Backpackers & Hostels

Veined by its sacred eponymous river, the Waikato region in the central North Island forms an intermediary in the island’s geography. The long sea swept plains of Northland and Auckland give way to an increasingly rugged and foreboding landscape, as the mountains of the Tongariro Park, on the northern cusp of the region, come into view.

The great lakes for which New Zealand is renowned make their first and most dominant appearance in Lake Taupo, the largest lake by surface in the country, and the dynamic underground thermals help perpetuate a diverse surface. With ripe vineyards streaming the valleys, hillsides dense with forestry, and rivers tumbling through ravines, Waikato takes you through an almost subtropical experience, showcasing the full range of New Zealand’s geological influences. 

Hamilton

The largest and most populous city in the Waikato region, Hamilton was once disregarded by British settlers as boggy and unfit for agriculture. Maori tribes dominated the area, for whom the Waitomo river was totemic, and a source of fishing and access to the Tasman sea upstream.

However, as merchants moved in and commerce along the river grew, European influence came to dominate, and thus Hamilton was established as the capital of the region, helping to feed Aucklanders and acting as a gateway to the spa towns of Rotorua and Taupo.

Hamilton Centre is now a lively downtown of shops, bars and restaurants, dotted with parks and gardens complementing the banks of the Waikato river which divides the city. Proud of its diverse population, Hamilton Gardens is a celebration of cultures coming together, with designs in Maori, Chinese, English, Italian and Japanese producing a horticultural hotchpotch, and with a café it makes a very relaxing setting in which to spend an afternoon.

There is a very young and trendy vibe to the centre, due in part to the popular University of Waikato and its sprawling campus on the east side of the river. The Hillcrest and Hamilton East areas are especially cosmopolitan, with a huge range of restaurants to be found on either side of the Anzac Parade Bridge.