Te Awamutu
Encyclopedia
Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato
in the North Island
of New Zealand
. It is the council seat of the Waipa District
and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it. Te Awamutu is located some 30 km south of Hamilton
on State Highway 3
, one of the two main routes south from Auckland
and Hamilton.
Maori in the 14th century. It was also the birthplace of the first Maori King
. The first European missionaries visited the area in 1834. A missionary settlement was set up by the missionaries and Māori Christians in July 1839 after they observed Tainui warriors who had been fighting at Rotorua
, return with 60 backpacks of human remains and proceed to cook and eat them in the Otawhao Pa. Te Awamutu was a major site during the New Zealand land wars
of the 19th century, serving as a garrison
town for the colonial settlers. European settlement began at the conclusion of the Waikato Wars (1863–1865).
to avoid confusion with the town of Alexandra
in the South Island
).
The town has a large dairy factory, and serves as an important centre in the local dairy industry.
The town is often referred to as "The Rose town of New Zealand", because of its elaborate rose gardens in the centre of the town. Many local businesses use "Rosetown" in their name, and the symbol of the rose is widely used on local signs and billboards. The local paper, Te Awamutu Courier, has a symbol of a rose in the masthead on its front page.
. The Waikato Plains
lie to the north and east, and the promontory
of Mount Pirongia
, 20 kilometres to the west, is easily visible. Inside the township are two streams called the Mangapiko Stream
and the Mangaohoe Stream. The Mangaohoe ends and becomes the Tributary of the Mangapiko near Memorial park.
The town is close to the extinct Kakepuku and Pirongia
volcanoes (and other volcanoes of the Alexandria Volcanics). Maungatautari
, another extinct volcanic cone, now the site of New Zealand's largest ecological restoration project, is also nearby.
Other towns surrounding Te Awamutu include Cambridge
, 25 kilometres to the northeast, Otorohanga, 30 kilometres to the southwest, and Raglan 50 kilometres to the northwest. The small town of Kihikihi
lies just to the south of Te Awamutu.
and surrounding rural areas a total population of about 14,000 can be claimed.
.
The museum contains one of the most famous early Māori artefacts, a large carved post known simply as Te Uenuku
. This impressive carving has caused much controversy because its style is markedly different from any other early Māori work, yet it is clearly of a Māori design.
The town has three large supermarkets, electronics retailers, and a well equipped sports / leisure centre.
and Neil
, whose musical careers have stretched from Split Enz
through the internationally successful Crowded House
to their current solo and collaborative works. The town is mentioned in Split Enz's song "Haul Away", and also in Crowded House's 1986 song "Mean To Me
", the debut single off their self-titled debut album
. Musician Spencer P. Jones
(The Beasts of Bourbon, Paul Kelly and The Coloured Girls) was also born in Te Awamutu
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...
in 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 the council seat of the Waipa District
Waipa District
Waipa District Council in the Waikato region of New Zealand is a municipality that covers Te Awamutu, Cambridge and several small towns. The seat of the council is at Te Awamutu. The district's population at the was , of whom approximately 35% lived in each of the main two towns. The district has...
and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it. Te Awamutu is located some 30 km south 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...
on State Highway 3
New Zealand State Highway network
The New Zealand State Highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. Just under 100 roads in both the North and South Islands are State Highways...
, one of the two main routes south from Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
and Hamilton.
History
The area was first settled by TainuiTainui
Tainui is a tribal waka confederation of New Zealand Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa and Waikato...
Maori in the 14th century. It was also the birthplace of the first Maori King
Maori King Movement
The Māori King Movement or Kīngitanga is a movement that arose among some of the Māori tribes of New Zealand in the central North Island ,in the 1850s, to establish a role similar in status to that of the monarch of the colonising people, the British, as a way of halting the alienation of Māori land...
. The first European missionaries visited the area in 1834. A missionary settlement was set up by the missionaries and Māori Christians in July 1839 after they observed Tainui warriors who had been fighting at Rotorua
Rotorua
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...
, return with 60 backpacks of human remains and proceed to cook and eat them in the Otawhao Pa. Te Awamutu was a major site during the New Zealand land wars
New Zealand land wars
The New Zealand Wars, sometimes called the Land Wars and also once called the Māori Wars, were a series of armed conflicts that took place in New Zealand between 1845 and 1872...
of the 19th century, serving as a garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
town for the colonial settlers. European settlement began at the conclusion of the Waikato Wars (1863–1865).
Te Awamutu Today
The main thoroughfare is Alexandra Street, so named because it was once the main road to the town of Alexandra (since renamed to PirongiaPirongia
Pirongia is a small town in the Waipa District of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island.It is 12 kilometres to the west of Te Awamutu, on the banks of the Waipa River, close to the foot of the 962 metre Mount Pirongia, which lies in a forest park to the west of the town.Pirongia was...
to avoid confusion with the town of Alexandra
Alexandra, New Zealand
Alexandra is a town in the Central Otago district of the Otago region of New Zealand. It is located on the banks of the Clutha River , on State Highway 8, 188 km by road from Dunedin and 33 km south of Cromwell.At the time of the 2006 census, the permanent population was 4,827, an...
in the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
).
The town has a large dairy factory, and serves as an important centre in the local dairy industry.
The town is often referred to as "The Rose town of New Zealand", because of its elaborate rose gardens in the centre of the town. Many local businesses use "Rosetown" in their name, and the symbol of the rose is widely used on local signs and billboards. The local paper, Te Awamutu Courier, has a symbol of a rose in the masthead on its front page.
Geography
Te Awamutu literally means in English "The River's End". The town is on gently undulating land close to the banks of a tributary of the Waipa RiverWaipa 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...
. The Waikato Plains
Waikato Plains
The Waikato Plains are a large area of low-lying land in the northwest of the North Island of New Zealand. They are the floodplains of the Waikato River, the country's longest river....
lie to the north and east, and the promontory
Promontory
Promontory may refer to:*Promontory, a prominent mass of land which overlooks lower lying land or a body of water*Promontory, Utah, the location where the United States first Transcontinental Railroad was completed...
of Mount Pirongia
Mount Pirongia
Mount Pirongia is an extinct volcano located in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It rises to 959 metres and is the highest peak in the Waikato region. It was active in the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene times...
, 20 kilometres to the west, is easily visible. Inside the township are two streams called the Mangapiko Stream
Mangapiko Stream
The Mangapiko Stream is mostly a low lying peat stream that flows through the heart of the Waipa district, Waikato. The stream begins near the summit of Mt Maungatautari and then weaves westward through low lying dairy farm land and eventually becomes the tributary of the Waipa River.The stream...
and the Mangaohoe Stream. The Mangaohoe ends and becomes the Tributary of the Mangapiko near Memorial park.
The town is close to the extinct Kakepuku and Pirongia
Pirongia
Pirongia is a small town in the Waipa District of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island.It is 12 kilometres to the west of Te Awamutu, on the banks of the Waipa River, close to the foot of the 962 metre Mount Pirongia, which lies in a forest park to the west of the town.Pirongia was...
volcanoes (and other volcanoes of the Alexandria Volcanics). Maungatautari
Maungatautari Restoration Project
The Maungatautari Restoration Project is the largest ecological restoration project in New Zealand, located near Cambridge in the Waikato region in the central North Island of New Zealand....
, another extinct volcanic cone, now the site of New Zealand's largest ecological restoration project, is also nearby.
Other towns surrounding Te Awamutu include Cambridge
Cambridge, New Zealand
Cambridge is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. Situated 24 kilometres southeast of Hamilton, on the banks of the Waikato River, Cambridge is known as "The Town of Trees & Champions".In the 1840s Cambridge had a Maori population but in the 1850's missionaries and...
, 25 kilometres to the northeast, Otorohanga, 30 kilometres to the southwest, and Raglan 50 kilometres to the northwest. The small town of Kihikihi
Kihikihi
Kihikihi is a small town located in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is a satellite community of Te Awamutu, five kilometres to the north, and is 35 kilometres south of Hamilton...
lies just to the south of Te Awamutu.
Demographics
It has a population of 9,777 but with KihikihiKihikihi
Kihikihi is a small town located in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is a satellite community of Te Awamutu, five kilometres to the north, and is 35 kilometres south of Hamilton...
and surrounding rural areas a total population of about 14,000 can be claimed.
Culture
Te Awamutu Museum was established in 1935. The museum has a number of permanent exhibitions focusing on the history of Te Awamutu and the surrounding area. There is also an exhibition, 'True Colours' focusing on Tim and Neil Finn, who went on to form Crowded HouseCrowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...
.
The museum contains one of the most famous early Māori artefacts, a large carved post known simply as Te Uenuku
Te Uenuku
Te Uenuku, or simply Uenuku is an important early Māori carving housed at Te Awamutu Museum in the North Island of New Zealand.The taonga is of extreme significance both to the local Tainui Māori people and also for its archaeological value. The carving is unique in form, and bears a noted...
. This impressive carving has caused much controversy because its style is markedly different from any other early Māori work, yet it is clearly of a Māori design.
Facilities and Attractions
The Te Awamutu Museum is one of the attractions of the town, and has many exhibitions relating to the history of the area. Te Awamutu itself is located on SH3, one of the major routes used when touring the North Island of New Zealand.The town has three large supermarkets, electronics retailers, and a well equipped sports / leisure centre.
Notable Residents / Former Residents
The town's best known residents are the Finn brothers, TimTim Finn
Brian Timothy "Tim" Finn, OBE is a New Zealand singer and musician. Finn is most known for his music with New Zealand 1970s and 1980s rock group Split Enz, and later for his solo work, a temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowded House and his joint efforts with Neil Finn as the Finn...
and Neil
Neil Finn
Neil Mullane Finn, OBE is a New Zealand Pop recording artist. Along with his brother Tim Finn, he was the co-frontman for Split Enz and is now frontman for Crowded House...
, whose musical careers have stretched from Split Enz
Split Enz
Split Enz were a New Zealand band of the 1970s and early 1980s featuring Phil Judd and brothers Tim Finn and Neil Finn. They achieved chart success in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada during the early 1980s ‒ most notably with the single "I Got You", and built a cult following elsewhere...
through the internationally successful Crowded House
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...
to their current solo and collaborative works. The town is mentioned in Split Enz's song "Haul Away", and also in Crowded House's 1986 song "Mean To Me
Mean to Me (Crowded House song)
"Mean to Me" is a 1986 song by rock group Crowded House. It was the first single the band ever released. The single was only released as a 7" vinyl single. It was released two weeks prior to the group's debut album, Crowded House, and appears on the album...
", the debut single off their self-titled debut album
Crowded House (album)
The original release of the album in Australia and New Zealand featured "Can't Carry On" as track 8. This song was replaced by a re-recording of the Split Enz song "I Walk Away" for other markets...
. Musician Spencer P. Jones
Spencer P. Jones
Spencer P. Jones is a Melbourne based guitar player from Te Awamutu, New Zealand. He has been a member of The Emotional Retreads, Country Killed the Cow Penalty, Escape Committee, Cuban Heels, Beats Working, North 2 Alaskans, The Johnnys, The Beasts of Bourbon, Olympic Sideburns, Paul Kelly and The...
(The Beasts of Bourbon, Paul Kelly and The Coloured Girls) was also born in Te Awamutu