If you’ve never had the charred broccolini with dan dan sauce at Sage, or strolled the boutiques of Lovegrove Lane, have you really been to Hamilton? Whether you follow champion barista Dove Chen to his favourite neighborhood haunts, join yoga teacher and designer Katie and Alan Deare on an intoxicating walk up Mt Pirongia, or get a permanent souvenir from Holiday Tattoo alongside yoga teacher Rachel Hope Peary, this burgeoning city is bound to surprise you. Discover weird and wonderful things in Browser’s Bookshop with the husband and wife duo behind Banh Mi Caphe, and end your evening in the cosy, dimly lit Wonder Horse.
Seven people. Seven ways to see a city. Find your Never Have I Ever.
What's your Hamilton Never Have I Ever?
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Anh Chaimontree
Restaurateur
Never stared up at the mechanical hedges or looked down the chequered walkway at Hamilton Gardens’s new Surrealist Garden? It’s restaurateur Anh Chaimontree’s favourite part of her city’s famous gardens.
Discover Anh’s Hamilton. -
Katie & Alan Deare
Yoga Teacher & Designer
Never been to the old Matangi Dairy Factory? The 1919 building has been transformed into a funky new space with shops and the Bootleg Brewery. Yoga teacher and designer Katie & Alan Deare say if you squint, it might remind you of Cockatoo Island.
Discover Katie & Alan’s Hamilton. -
Dove Chen
Champion Barista & Café Owner
Never had the high tea experience overlooking the tea fields at the Zealong Tea Estate in Hamilton? Barista champion and café owner Dove Chen appreciates the subtlety of a good brew. He says the stunning Zealong experience is not to be missed.
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Steph and Emily
Artists & business owners
Never seen Robert Jahnke’s sculpture Te Tatau Ki Kirikiriroa in Hamilton’s new urban architecture project? Artists Emily and Steph love its striking corten steel and mind-bending infinity lighting illusions.
Discover Emily & Steph’s Hamilton. -
Rachel Hope Peary
Painter & yoga teacher
Never found the hidden gem that is Lovegrove Lane in Hamilton? This is where painter and yoga teacher, Rachel Hope Peary, spends most of her time. Delicious food, calming yoga and boutique retailers keep her coming back.
Discover Rachel’s Hamilton. -
Leafa Wilson
Multimedia performance artist
Never thought of a carved waka as an ancestor you should visit regularly to pay respects? New Zealand-born Samoan artist Leafa Wilson does. She’s the visual arts curator at Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga and she’s got a unique insight into its collections and to her city.
Discover Leafa's Hamilton. -
Kim Higgison
Ice cream maker & business owner
Never experienced Sage, the dining experience in a brew bar in Hamilton? Kim Higgison of Duck Island Ice Cream thinks you should. She’s proud of the creative community in her adopted home of Hamilton.
Discover Kim’s Hamilton.
Stay & Play
32A Somerset Street, Frankton, Hamilton
Good George is more than just a brewery, it is a complete hospitality and beer lover’s experience. Brewery tours are available, and the Dining Hall serves delicious food.
39 Waitomo Caves Road, Waitomo
Be amazed by the thousands of magical glowworms above, as you glide silently by boat in the world famous Waitomo Glowworm Caves or check out ancient limestone formations.
501 Buckland Road, Matamata
For your own Middle Earth adventure, daily tours are available at the original Hobbiton Movie Set from The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy and The Hobbit films.
7 Alma Street, Hamilton Central
Novotel Hamilton Tainui is 4+ stars in the heart of Hamilton city located on the banks of Waikato River. Contemporary decor and natural light make your room a haven whether you're staying for business or pleasure.
450 Tristram Street, Whitiora, Hamilton
Contemporary, convenient, sustainable and luxurious motel units with an unrivaled quiet location by the Waikato Stadium and a quick walk into the CBD.
287 Victoria Street, Hamilton Central
Enjoy a memorable stay at Ramada by Wyndham Hamilton, a modern hotel set in a historic 19th-Century building, offering rooms and suites that fit every kind of traveller. Hamilton's best kept secret
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari
99 Tari Road, Pukeatua
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is a mainland ecological island and offers a sanctuary for populations of many of our most endangered species. Enjoy a variety of hikes and bush walks or take a guided tour.
1227 Waitomo Valley Road, Waitomo
The most amazing caving adventures in New Zealand are here in the Waitomo Caves area. Waitomo Adventures’s unique and mind-blowing caving adventures offer something for all ages.
495 Gordonton Road, Gordonton, Hamilton
Zealong is the only commercial tea estate in NZ producing award winning tea. Located outside Hamilton, Zealong offers unique tours, event venues, public activities, a retail boutique and free parking.
Hamilton
Brewbus NZ offers unique craft beer tours and experiences, combining stunning local scenery with delicious food and of course, fantastic local beer. Come travel with Brewbus, the award winning beer tourism company here in NZ!
Hungerford Crescent, Hamilton
Explore a magical world of themed gardens! Hamilton Gardens is open every day of the year with free entry and free parking.
396 Horahora Road, Piarere
Lake District Adventures offer twilight kayak glow worm tours, daytime kayak tours and mountain bike tours along with mountain bike, kayak and SUP hire. They also provide shuttle services along the surrounding cycling trails.
Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato
1 Grantham Street, Hamilton Central
Hamilton is not short on history, and you can find out all about it at Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato. Wander around the museum’s 13 galleries and be amazed by one of the major highlights - the 200-year-old waka taua (war canoe) Te Winika.