Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights
Hamilton Gardens
GARDENS
(
www.hamiltongardens.co.nz
;
Cobham Dr; enclosed sector 7.30am-5pm, info centre 9am-5pm)
Hamilton Gardens, spread over 50 hectares, incorporates a large park, cafe, res-
taurant and extravagant themed enclosed gardens. There are separate Italian Renaissance,
Chinese, Japanese, English, American and Indian gardens complete with colonnades, pa-
godas and a mini Taj Mahal. Equally interesting are the sustainable Productive Garden
Collection, a fragrant herb garden and the precolonisation Maori Te Parapara garden.
Look for the impressive
Nga Uri O Hinetuparimaunga
(Earth Blanket) sculpture at the
main gates. The gardens are southeast of Hamilton city centre.
Waikato Museum
MUSEUM
(
www.waikatomuseum.co.nz
; 1 Grantham St; free-$6.50; 10am-4.30pm)
The excellent
Waikato Museum has five main areas: an art gallery; interactive science galleries; Tainui
galleries housing Maori treasures, including the magnificently carved
waka taua
(war ca-
noe),
Te Winikawaka;
a Hamilton history exhibition entitled 'Never a Dull Moment'; and
a Waikato River exhibition. The museum also runs a rigorous program of public events.
Admission is charged for some exhibits.
Waikato River
RIVER, PARK
Bush-covered riverside walkways run along both sides of the river and provide the city's
green belt. Jogging paths continue to the boardwalk circling Lake Rotoroa, west of the
centre. Memorial Park is closer to town, and has the remains of
PS Rangiriri
- an iron-
clad, steam-powered gunboat from the Waikato War - embedded in the riverbank.
Riff Raff
MONUMENT
(
www.riffraffstatue.org
; Victoria St; )
One of Hamilton's more unusual public artworks is a
life-size statue of
Rocky Horror Picture Show
writer Richard O'Brien, aka Riff Raff, the
time-warping alien from the planet Transsexual. It looks over a small park on the site of
the former Embassy Theatre where O'Brien worked as a hairdresser, though it's hard to
imagine 1960s Hamilton inspired the tale of bisexual alien decadence. Free wi-fi eman-
ates from Riff Raff's three-pronged stun gun.
