Things to do in Hamilton

Waikato River Walk

The Waikato River is New Zealand’s longest river than runs across the Hamilton city for about 16 kms. It is a stunning river and what’s better is the walkways and bike trails by the river that run through the city.

The river walks are a great way to explore Hamilton. Some people like to go swimming but it is not recommended by the city council due to its quality.

Alternatively, people go kayaking or paddle boating too, in the river, and it can be quite lovely.

Hamilton Gardens

The Hamilton Gardens is a major tourism and local attraction in Hamilton. The gardens are all conceptual and imitated to showcase different parts of the world and different renaissance periods.

Some of the gardens show the traditional Maori culture. There are gardens designed specifically for children to enjoy, like the Tudor Garden, which is filled with mythical creatures.

There are guided tours and events that are constantly organized at the gardens. It is also a popular destination for local weddings, especially in Spring.

Hamilton Night Market

The Hamilton night market is a Friday night market that’s set up at Te Awa, Base and has an array of food from a whole bunch of different cuisines around the world.

The food is quite delicious and it’s a good way to spend a Friday evening. There’s also The Base, one of the biggest shopping malls in New Zealand. You could go shopping or catch a movie at Hoyts too.

Hamilton Farmers Market

The farmers market in Hamilton happens every Sunday morning. It’s a great way to combine your grocery shopping with a nice day out at the market. They have fresh local produce and they have food stalls, and other forms of entertainment.

There’s also a nice outdoor seating area, where you can relax and have a picnic or something.

Hamilton Mountain Bike Park

The Hamilton Mountain bike park is a one-way mountain bike trail that runs for 11kms. This was originally a working farm and commercial sand quarry.

The track is pretty intense and is covered with a variety of surfaces with gravel, sand, clay, grass and mud. You can ride there pretty much through the year, but its probably best to avoid wet winter days.

You can access the track from Te Rapa opposite the Te Awa River Trail carpark.

If you enjoy biking and think you can handle the rough terrain, biking there can be great fun!

Waikato museum

The Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato is a regional museum in Hamilton.

It is an artistic and cultural landmark in the city and showcases New Zealand’s heritage.

They have exhibitions, events and programmes that tell stories both from a regional and world-wide point of view. They include visual art, scientific innovation, social history and more.

Highlights of the museum include the majestic war waka Te Winika, For Us They Fell, the Waikato WW1 story, the fun hands-on science galleries for children.

Waikato Hot Air Balloon Festival

The 5 day long hot air balloon festival is a popular and much anticipated festival in Hamilton and the Waikato, where you get to see lots and lots of hot air balloons floating up in the sky over the course of the festival. It looks absolutely stunning, with the evening city lights and shouldn’t be missed!

For more information on things to do in Hamilton, check out some of the upcoming events in Hamilton.