Ngaruawahia Waikato

The Ngaruawahia is a municipality in the Waikato district on the North Island of New Zealand. Ngaruawahia is located 20 km northwest of Hamilton. The population census recorded 5,250 inhabitants in 1996; the population was 4,938 in 2001 and 5,106 in 2006. Two possible explanations have been given for the meaning of the name. One is that it means “open the food pits’ and is derived from a festival that was celebrated by two tribes for centuries to celebrate their union through marriage. The other is that a free translation of the word Ngaruawahia in Maori means “place of two rivers,” possibly a reference to the confluence of the Waipa and Waikato rivers.

By order, after the invasion of Waikato in 1863, the British designated the town Newcastle, but soon turned back to the original name.

Ngaruawahia is home to the Kingitanga, directed toward the formation of a monarchy movement of Maori. It was the official residence of the Maori Queen, Te Atairangikaahu.

Turangawaewae Marae, an important sacred place of the Maori is on the east bank of the Waikato River at Ngaruawahia.

On March 14, 1998, train No. 235 derailed after a deferred charge of the train at a bridge over the River Waikato. The derailed cars were piled up on the deck of the bridge and damaged it considerably. One month later, another accident occurred because a train was moving on the wrong track.