What’s so great about Cambridge, Waikato
Cambridge, charming, picturesque and packed with choices for the most discerning visitor quietly slumbers in the Waikato countryside.
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- Auckland, New Zealand
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Cambridge, charming, picturesque and packed with choices for the most discerning visitor quietly slumbers in the Waikato countryside.
Location says it all, Waitomo Caves, Hobbiton and Hamilton within half an hour drive
Te Ara Wai Journey a digital mobile story while exploring Cambridge, launched by Waipa District Council. WAIKATO TE AWA – CAMBRIDGE Te Awa trail is a celebration of the Mighty Waikato River, the people who have lived by and on the river. Waikato Tainui and its local iwi ngati haua have identified sites of significance. Connecting Cambridge to Karapiro is the Te Awa walk/cycleway which is just over 8km of dedicated pathway to the Mighty River Domain on the shores of Lake Karapiro.
This walk is part of the Unforgettable Day Walks in New Zealand series. For details check out Cambridge to Lake Karapiro day walk.
The Cambridge economy pivots around dairying just in case you missed the cows placidly munching in the paddocks (fields) with sheep farming on the hill country.
Agribusiness includes boutique winery or two, horticulture and newer livestock such as Llamas. Horse stud indicators are the more attractive wooden fences. Thoroughbred horse stock is protected from impact with the elimination of standard wire fencing. Picturesque farming creates an idyllic Aotearoa New Zealand postcard scene. The hard work is hidden behind the efficient looking farm buildings.
Cambridge is a great place to experience authentic New Zealand where the rural economy and urban vibe of Cambridge offer visitors choices galore. Location says it all with convenient connections to Hamilton, Auckland and key attractions such as Waitomo Caves and Hobbiton. A great day trip from Hamilton or an excellent excuse for a short break from either Auckland or Wellington.
Hamilton’s airport is a short 30 minutes drive making Cambridge very accessible and very tempting. Cambridge, the Waikato hub to everywhere with options to cycle and/or drive. Easy country roads wrapped around attractive rolling pasture dotted with numerous cows (dairy).
FOR ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS IN CAMBRIDGE CHECK OUT
| PLACE | PLACE | ESTIMATED TIME (vehicle) | DISTANCE |
| Cambridge | Hamilton | 27 minutes | 26 km |
| Cambridge | Waitomo Caves | 54 minutes | 65 km |
| Cambridge | Sanctuary Mountain | 40 minutes | 38 km |
| Cambridge | Hobbiton | 30 minutes | 27 km |
| Cambridge | Mighty River Domain | 12 minutees | 10 km |
| Cambridge | Te Awamutu | 30 minutes | 31 km |
| Cambridge | Auckland | 1 hr, 50 minutes | 146 km |
| Cambridge | Raglan | 58 minutes | 64 km |
| Cambridge | Tauranga | 1 hour | 82 km |
Being sporty is definitely a Waikato trait
“In pre-colonial days Cambridge was the site of an important Maori pa called Horotiu, the same name being applied to the course of the Waikato River from the vicinity of this pa to Ngaruawahia. Cambridge was chosen as a military settlement in June 1864, largely due to its position near the upstream limit of navigation for the steam vessels employed by the forces under General Sir Duncan Cameron during the Waikato War. Colonel Theodore Minet Haultain, Commandant of the Waikato Regiments, was responsible for the fixing of the actual site but he was assisted by General Cameron, and by Captain Cadell, the officer in charge of the river steamers. The 3rd Waikato Regiment camped on the site in 1865 and constructed a redoubt capable of accommodating a garrison of more than 1,000 men. With the end of hostilities and the expansion of farm settlement, Cambridge grew as a market town. In 1868 Cambridge became a highway district administered by a board of trustees. It was created a town district in 1882 and in 1886 attained borough status. The settlement of Leamington, which grew up on the left bank of the Waikato River opposite Cambridge, is linked to it by a traffic bridge. Leamington was created an independent town district in 1905 and, following merger proposals in 1956, became part of the Borough of Cambridge in 1958. The name Cambridge is stated to have been given by General Cameron because of a supposed resemblance of that part of the Waikato River to the River Cam in Cambridgeshire.” CAMBRIDGE – 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand – Te Ara: CAMBRIDGE’, from An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966.
“Parliament passed legislation enabling the confiscation (raupatu) of Māori land from tribes deemed to have ‘engaged in open rebellion against Her Majesty’s authority’. Pākehā settlers would occupy the confiscated land.
On the eve of the British invasion of Waikato in July 1863, the government ordered all Māori living in the Manukau district and on the Waikato frontier north of the Mangatāwhiri stream to take an oath of allegiance to the Queen and give up their weapons. Those who refused were warned that they would ‘forfeit the right to the possession of their lands guaranteed to them by the Treaty of Waitangi’.
Under the New Zealand Settlements Act, Waikato lost almost all their land and Ngāti Hauā about a third of theirs. But kūpapa (pro-government or neutral) Māori also lost land as the yardstick rapidly changed from guilt to convenience. Ngāti Maniapoto territory still under Kīngitanga control was untouched. In the long term, Taranaki Māori suffered most from confiscation in terms of land actually occupied.” Source Land confiscation law passed NZ History Updated 4 Dec 2020.
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