- Ngaruawahia
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Ngāruawāhia — Town — Waikato River passing through Ngāruawāhia
Population (2006 census) - Territorial 5,106 - Urban 203,400 Time zone NZST (UTC+12) - Summer (DST) NZDT (UTC+13) Ngāruawāhia (Maori pronunciation: [ŋaːɾʉawaːhia]) (pop. 5,106[1]) is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 20 km north-west of Hamilton at the confluence of the Waikato and Waipa Rivers. Ngāruawāhia lies within the Hamilton Urban Area, the fourth largest urban area in New Zealand.
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Name Origin
The meaning of the town's name is open the food pits, which comes from a feast held hundreds of years ago to celebrate the coming together of two tribes through a marriage which were Ngati Tamainupo and Ngati Maniapoto. The word combines the Māori words wahia meaning firewood and rua meaning pit or hole in this usage.[2] An alternative translation is place of the two rivers, as the Waipa and Waikato rivers join at this point.[3]
History
After the invasion of the Waikato in 1863 by British imperial forces the town was re-named Newcastle, but reverted to Ngāruawāhia soon after.
A train derailed on 14 March 1998 after a load moved in transit and then struck a through-truck bridge. The wagons piled high on the superstructure of the Waikato River bridge, and there was major damage to the bridge.[4][5]
Home of the Kīngitanga
Ngāruawāhia is home to the Māori Kīngitanga or King Movement. This was the official residence of the late Māori Queen, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu. Tūrangawaewae Marae is on the eastern bank of the Waikato River in Ngāruawāhia.
Sport and Recreation
Football (Soccer)
Ngaruawahia United, known as "The Green Machine", is the local Football (Soccer) club, founded in 1968. As of 2009, it comprised sixteen junior sides, three senior sides and a women's team. Ngaruawahia United has their A team in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2, their B team in the Federation League and their C team in the Waikato League. The women's team competes in their Waikato B Division.
Ngaruawahia will again host Waikato FC of the New Zealand Football Championship for the 2009-10 New Zealand Football Championship season. Waikato FC will play their matches at Centennial Park.
Rugby League
Ngaruawahia is the home of the rugby league team Turangawaewae RLC, which is named after the Marae opposite the clubrooms. The club currently holds the record for the first team to ever win consecutive titles in the annual Waicoa Bay Premiers Competition, consisting of all teams in the Waikato, Coast and Bay Of Plenty regions.[citation needed] Ngaruawahia Rugny League Club (Panthers) are 2011 champions , Premiers , U17 , U14 , U13 are all champions.
Christian Youth Camps
On the northern side of the Waipa River is the Christian Youth Camps (CYC), the largest Youth Camp site in New Zealand. CYC started in the early 1960s, with large Easter Conventions. Today there are two separate camp sites, on 38 hectares of land. The camp offers school holiday camps throughout the year. During the terms, the camps are used by various groups, including schools, churches and sporting organisations.
Former Residents
- Richard Tomlinson, MI6 officer
- Shaun Kenny-Dowall, rugby league player
- John Bradshaw, It Is Written International director[6]
See also
Notes
- ^ Quickstats about Ngaruawahia
- ^ "Ngaruawahia". Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. 1966. http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/ngaruawahia/1.
- ^ "Welcome to Ngaruawahia". http://ngaruawahia.com/. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
- ^ Transport Accident Investigation Commission - incident 98-105
- ^ "Repairs will stop railway 'wiggles'". The New Zealand Herald. 9 May 2000. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=136693.
- ^ Pastor John Bradshaw Named New Speaker/Director of It Is Written
Categories:- Waikato Region
- Populated places in New Zealand
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