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Hamilton is New Zealand's 4th-largest metropolitan area. It is situated in the Waikato region of the North Island, approximately 129km to the south of Auckland. The city, lying at a major road and rail nexus, is situated in the centre of the Waikato Basin on both the east and west banks of the Waikato River.
The area now covered by
the city was originally the site of a handful of Maori villages, including
Kirikiriroa, from which the city takes its Maori name. By the time English
settlers arrived, most of these villages, which sat beside the Waikato River,
were abandoned. The new English settlement was renamed Hamilton after Captain
Fane Charles Hamilton, the popular commander of HMS Esk, who was killed in
the battle of Gate Pa, Tauranga. The city is located near the southernmost
navigable reach of the Waikato River, amidst New Zealand's richest and most
fertile agricultural land. Initially an agricultural service centre, it now
has a growing and diverse economy.
Hamilton has a temperate although sometimes damp climate with about 1184mm of rainfall annually. Daily maximum temperatures range from about 22 to 26 degrees celsius in January and February to 10 to 15 in July and August. Summer occasionally see temperatures of more than 30 degrees, while on clear winter mornings temperatures may drop to as low as -4 degrees celsius. Although there are rumours of a snowfall in Hamilton in the 1960s, and the nearby Mount Pirongia sees a dusting of snow once every few years, snow does not fall in Hamilton.
Original versions of our photos can be purchased & web versions can be shared subject to conditions.