Hamilton
Hamilton is often the centre of debate as to whether it's a fun-filled destination for visitors or one of the most boring places in New Zealand. Certainly, the locals work doubly hard to find ways to entertain and Hamilton is increasingly becoming the host for many national and international events.
Reasons to visit include:
Cafes, bars and eateries
Though it has the fourth largest urban population of any New Zealand city, with almost 200,000 residents, it claims the second-largest collection of cafes in the country (behind Auckland's Ponsonby Rd district). The 2008 edition of Lonely Planet says Hamilton's main street bars and eateries leave Auckland's Viaduct Harbour for dead at weekends in the 'boozy fun stakes'.
The skies above
Hamilton hosts an annual parachute music festival every January and the nation's largest hot air balloon festival every April. The city's interest in the sky also extends to its industry as Hamilton is home to Pacific Aerospace, the country's largest aircraft manufacturer, and Max Clear Aviation who make micro light aircraft.
Sports
Hamilton is home base for the Waikato rugby team and for the Chiefs Super 15 rugby team and its Seddon Park ground is often used to host cricket tests and one-day international games. The city is becoming well known for hosting motorsports with an annual V8 Supercars race on a street circuit while a round of the World Rally Championship was staged at Hamilton in 2006.
Gardens
Hamilton Gardens is the region's most popular tourist attraction. Every February, the gardens host the Hamilton Gardens Summer Festival.
Exhibitions
An exhibition venue at Mystery Creek, 15 minutes from Hamilton, hosts the annual National Agricultural Fieldays every June. It is the southern hemisphere's largest agricultural trade exhibition. Mystery Creek is also the venue for the National Car Show and the National Boat Show.
Ngaruawahia
Twenty minutes drive north of Hamilton is Ngaruawahia which is the home of the Maori King, Tuheitia Paki, and the Turangawaewae Marae located beside the Waikato River.
Other local towns
Half an hour from Hamilton are lovely country towns such as Cambridge (known for its trees), Matamata (which hosts the Hobbiton film set used in the Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Tirau (check out its corrugated iron sculptures).