Ngāruawāhia (pop. 5,106) is a town in the Waikato

Waikato

The Waikato Region is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato, Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the northern King Country, much of the Taupo District, and parts of Rotorua District...

 region of the North Island

North Island

The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...

 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...

. It is located 20 km north-west of Hamilton

Hamilton, New Zealand

Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...

 at the confluence of the Waikato

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...

 and Waipa River

Waipa River

The Waipa River is in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. The headwaters are in the Rangitoto Range east of Te Kuiti. It flows north for 115 kilometres, passing through Otorohanga and Pirongia, before flowing into the Waikato River at Ngaruawahia...

s. Ngāruawāhia lies within the Hamilton Urban Area

Hamilton Urban Area

The Hamilton Urban Area is a New Zealand urban area in the Waikato Region. It is the fourth largest urban area in the country with a population of . At its centre is Hamilton City, New Zealand's fourth largest territorial authority...

, the fourth largest urban area

Urban areas of New Zealand

Statistics New Zealand defines New Zealand urban areas for statistical purposes. The urban areas comprise cities, towns and other 'conurbations' of a thousand people or more. In combination, the urban areas of the country constitute New Zealand's urban population...

 in New Zealand.
The meaning of the town's name is open the food pits, which comes from a feast held hundreds of years ago to celebrate the coming together of two tribes through a marriage which were Ngati Tamainupo and Ngati Maniapoto.