Arapuni is a rural town centre on the Waikato river

Waikato River

The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand. In the North Island, it runs for 425 kilometres from the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and emptying into Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake. It drains Taupo at the lake's northeastern edge, creates the...

 in the South Waikato District

South Waikato District

The South Waikato District is a municipality in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located between the cities of Hamilton to the north, Rotorua to the east, Taupo to the south and Ruapehu District to the west....

 of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. The population on census night 2006 was 2,145 usual residents, slightly down from 2,163 in 2001 and 2,211 in 1996. The town sits next to a hydroelectric dam

Hydroelectricity

Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...

 at Lake Arapuni

Lake Arapuni

Lake Arapuni is one of several artificial lakes formed as part of a hydroelectricity scheme on the Waikato River in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 65 kilometres southeast of Hamilton, to the north of Mangakino....

, one of six in the South Waikato District on the Waikato river. It has the spectacular Arapuni Suspension Bridge

Arapuni Suspension Bridge

The Arapuni Suspension Bridge is located just downstream from the Arapuni Power Station on the Waikato River in the South Waikato District of New Zealand...

 below the dam freely open to public.

Arapuni Dam

The Arapuni Dam was first commissioned in 1929. The Arapuni Power Station

Arapuni Power Station

Arapuni Power Station is a hydroelectric power station on the Waikato River, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the seventh and penultimate hydroelectric power station on the Waikato River...

 consists of eight turbines which give a total output of 196 MW, the largest of the power stations on the Waikato river. The Arapuni hydro station is owned and operated by Mighty River Power.