Entertainment

Cafés, restaurants, shopping and night life – the Waikato has all the entertainment you can handle:

Shopping

Hamilton is proud to offer a huge variety of shopping opportunities for all the shop-aholics out there!  From malls to specialty shops, Hamilton has the gift, souvenir or fashion accessory you seek. 

Outside of the main city, every major town in the Waikato region has a unique shopping opportunity to offer you – see Cambridge for its wonderful antiques and arts and crafts, Tirau for great souvenirs or Otorohanga for Kiwi icons, to name just a few.

Eating Out

Once you’ve ‘shopped till you’ve dropped’, relax at one of the Hamilton’s fantastic cafes or find a glass of wine and a fine meal to revive you for the night ahead. Try Hamilton’s South End of Victoria Street for some great options.

For eating out guides in the general Waikato region, refer to your local information centre for more information. But do make sure you try the Boatshed Café at Lake Karapiro, The Workman’s Café in Matamata and Vinnie’s Café in Raglan.

Casino

For a big night out with meals, bars, live entertainment and gaming rooms, Hamilton’s casino is open daily from 11am to 3am. Close to the river and the central city is the Sky Riverside.

Events

Waikato hosts a variety of sporting, festival, theatre and arts events, many of which take place in Hamilton city. See this website’s list of festivals and visit www.mysterycreek.co.nz or www.hamiltonevents.co.nz

Art / Museums

Local artists exhibit at a variety of galleries around Waikato. Visit the local information centre for more details or try Artpost Gallery and the Wakato Museum of Art and History to start with.