Te Kauwhata is a friendly North Waikato village nestled on the edge of Lake Waikare, adjacent to the Whangamarino Wetlands and the mighty Waikato River. It is perfectly positioned midway between Auckland and Hamilton, and services a large rural area, including Waikaretu, Onewhero, Maramarua, Meremere, Waerenga, Ohinewai, Rangiriri, Naike and Glen Murray.
Its unique location offers easy access to both west coast beaches (Raglan) and the white sand east coast and Thames/Coromandel peninsula in little over an hour. Te Kauwhata’s growth has been enhanced in recent times by the Waikato expressway upgrade, which has shortened commuter times to both Auckland and Hamilton.
City dwellers seeking an escape from the pressures of urban life are moving to Te Kauwhata in search of the ‘good life”. The village lifestyle allows room for children to just be kids, training a pet lamb or calf for the local school calf day and becoming involved with a variety of sports groups in the village. With its roots firmly set in agricultural, horticultural and viticulture origins, Te Kauwhata is still home to a variety of farming industries, including dairying, beef units, sheep and cattle, deer, alpaca and goats, fruit orchards, market gardening, horse studs and eel processing. Cottage industries include greenstone carving, home and farm stays. The village is also home to a variety of artists working in different media.
Te Kauwhata hosts a number of events, including our monthly local market and annual ANZAC Services, Splash’n Dash Children’s Day Celebrations, Te Kauwhata A&P Show and Christmas Parade. As you drive into Te Kauwhata, alongside the historic 75 year old rose festooned fence lines, a view of Lake Waikare, surrounded by rolling hill country, provides an ever-changing backdrop. Lake Waikare is the second largest shallow lake in the North Island and forms a vital part of the Waikato Valley Flood Management scheme. It feeds into the internationally-acclaimed Whangamarino Wetlands, one of 6 RAMSAR sites in the world and one of the largest natural wetlands in the southern hemisphere.
TE KAUWHATA – A VILLAGE EXPERIENCE