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The Waikato Region is a local government region on the western side of the North Island of New Zealand. It stretches from Lake Taupo and northern King Country in the south, up to the Coromandel Peninsula and the boundary with the Auckland Region. The region has an area of 25,000 km 2, and a population in 2001 of 357,726.
In general use, the term Waikato is likely to include only a part of the local government region, excluding those areas around the Coromandel Peninsula and Thames Valley in the north and around and to the north of Lake Taupo in the southeast.
Waikato can refer to the district administered by the Waikato district Council. This covers the towns of Ngaruawahia, Huntly and Raglan.
The Waikato can also, of course, refer to the long river from which the region gets its name. The word comes from the MaoriMori (or Maori is a language spoken by the native peoples of New Zealand. History Maori was probably brought to New Zealand by Polynesians from the Marquesas Islands who sailed over in canoes. In the last 200 years the Maori language has had a very tumult words for flowing water.
In the west, the region is bounded by the Tasman SeaThe Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand and is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, discoverer of New Zealand and Tasmania. The British exp. The coastal region is largely rough hill country, known locally as the Hakarimata RangeThe Hakarimata range is a general term given to the hills and coastal ranges of the Waikato region of New Zealand, lying betwen the floodplain of the Waikato River and the Tasman Sea. Parts of the range are protected in scenic reserves near the towns of H, though it is more gently undulating in the north, closer to the mouth of the Waikato River. The coast is punctured by three large natural harbours: Raglan Harbour, Aotea Harbour, and Kawhia Harbour. The area around Raglan is noted for its volcanic black sand beaches, and also for its fine surfing conditions.
To the east of the coastal hills lies the broad floodplain of the Waikato River. The region has a wet temperate climate, and the land here is largely rich farmland, although it also contains undrained peat swamp. It is in these broad Waikato Plains that most of the region's population resides, and the land is intensively farmed with both livestock (mainly dairy cattle) and crops (such as maize). The area around Cambridge has many thoroughbred stables.
The north of the region around Te Kauwhata produces some of New Zealand's best wines. Several shallow lakes lie in this area, the largest of which is Lake Waikare.
To the east, the land rises towards the forested slopes of the Kaimai and Mamaku Ranges. The upper reaches of the Waikato River are used for hydroelectricity, and several large artificial lakes are found in the region's southeast.