Where to Find the Cosiest Cocktails This Winter
Creative Spaces Around New Zealand to Inspire Your Next Mindful Hobby
In a world increasingly dominated by screen time, many New Zealanders are seeking out something more tangible. Pottery classes are filling up months in advance, knitting needles are clicking back into fashion, and creative workshops are becoming social occasions in their own right.
Foundations of a City: A Guide to Hamilton's Notable Buildings
Hamilton is a city where architecture tells the story of its past, present, and future in a single glance. Heritage landmarks stand proudly alongside bold new developments, each adding its own character to the city’s growing skyline. From reimagined historic spaces that hum with new life, to cutting-edge cultural venues and purpose‑built community hubs.
Walk This Way: Discover Hamilton's Laneways
Hamilton’s laneways might not shout for attention, but that’s exactly their charm. Tucked between main streets and hidden behind unassuming facades, these pedestrian‑friendly pockets are made for wandering. They’re often blissfully free of traffic, rich with character, and brimming with independent businesses that reward the curious.
Eat Your Way Around the World: Hamilton’s Best Global Eats
One of the Locals: An Insider's Guide to Kirikiriroa Hamilton
Taking the crown of New Zealand’s fastest growing city, you’d be a fool to underestimate what this town in the mighty Waikato has to offer. While throngs of visitors take the 45-minute trip out of Hamilton to live out their fantasies in The Shire (each to their own), those who stick to the heart of the ‘Tron will discover local treasures that are – in our opinion – just as precious.
Meet the Bakers: Ed and Ryan from Volare Bread
Volare (pronounced vo-la-ree) Bread was founded in 2009 by two school friends, Ed and Ryan, who saw a gap in the Waikato market for artisan baking. With a vintage oven, a worn-out mixer, and an old van, they embarked on a mission to create a bakery that would bring traditional, high-quality baked goods to the region. What started as a modest dream quickly grew into something much larger. Today, Volare is an award-winning bakery with five thriving stores and a growing wholesale business, capped with the honour of being the chosen bakery at the newly established Made Market precinct.
A Sweet Tour of Hamilton: Where to Discover the City's Best Sugary Treats
Hamilton’s underrated food scene is brimming with delicious discoveries to be had - on both sides of the river. We’ve rounded up some of Hamilton’s best sugary secrets, so if you’re after something to satisfy that craving, these are the spots you won’t want to miss.
Cultivating Beauty: The Legacy of Hamilton Gardens
A mere few minutes from central Hamilton are the Hamilton Gardens, one of New Zealand’s largest city parks. Receiving upwards of 500,000 visitors to the Enclosed Gardens, and over a million visits to the open park spaces every year, it’s no wonder TripAdvisor considers them in the top one percent of travel experiences worldwide. Beyond the blooms and greenery at Hamilton Gardens, the gardens offer a unique journey through time, spanning the course of around 5000 years. Globally unique in its concept, the Hamilton Gardens showcase the evolution of garden design around the world. All the major civilisations have their own themed garden, offering a glimpse into a different culture at a point in time and its unique perspective on nature over time.
Nature’s Finest: Where to Find Beautiful Blooms and Green Spaces in Hamilton
Neat in the Neighbourhood: Hamilton East
Hayes Common's Lisa Quarrie on the Future of Hospitality and Adaption
Finest Fit Outs: Hamilton’s Most Aesthetically Pleasing Spaces
Hamilton may not boast the same abundance of hotspots as New Zealand's larger urban centres, yet it harbours establishments that stand in a league of their own. Here you’ll find some of the finest fit-outs in the country.
Hamilton’s Best Seats: Top Spots to Relax, Dine and Unwind
Hamilton's vibe is hard to pin down, but impossible to ignore. Emerging suburbs and hidden laneways lined with undiscovered gems paint the picture of a city undergoing an evolving urban transformation.
Hamilton’s Sixth Generation Dumpling Maker on the Craft and History of Handmade Dumplings
For Lei Wang, owner of Hamilton’s much-loved Dumpling House, making great food is how she shows her love and appreciation for the supportive community she now calls home. We spoke with her about her family’s history making authentic handmade dumplings, and she even shared some of her best tips with us.
Revive the Body and Mind - A Wellness Weekend in Hamilton
We all need to take a little time for ourselves every now and again. Wellness is easy to overlook when we’re busy, but taking care of ourselves is oh-so-important. Gone are the days when a gym session or fruit smoothie were the only ways we can do good by our bodies, instead they’ve been replaced with the idea of filling our cups, and we are here for it!!
A Guide to Crafty Brews and Bites in Hamilton Kirikiriroa
One of a Kind Finds in Hamilton
Discover one-of-a-kind finds for yourself or that special someone in Hamilton using our list of eight local luxury businesses.
Aotearoa's Underground Haunts, Rooftops and The In-betweens
Leafa Wilson’s Hamilton
I have been a multimedia performance artist for 30-odd years. I use the name on my birth certificate for my lifelong performative work ‘Olga Krause - Deutsche Kuenstlerin’. Leafa is my given ancestral name from my grandfather. We moved to Kirikiriroa-Hamilton 24 years ago and I have been curator of art at Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga for almost 17 of those years. My field of expertise is art in all its manifestations. My husband Craig and I have six children and four (or nine including their siblings) precious mokopuna.
Tick Off Your Reading List At New Zealand’s Independent Bookshops
Dial-Up Summer With 10 Of The Best Things To Do In Hamilton
Fill Your Cup With Hamilton's Best Creative Boutiques and Galleries
We’ve Found 8 Of The Best Chinese Restaurants In Hamilton
Get Your Foodie Fix At Hamilton’s Best Healthy Eateries
Sink a superfood smoothie or smash back a vegan feast as you eat your way around Hamilton's wholesome food scene.
Spend Consciously At Hamilton’s Best Sustainable Stores
This is the definition of feel-good shopping.
Indulge in Retail Therapy, We've Found the Neatest Places to Shop in Hamilton
Hit the ground running in Hamilton and head out to see the best in retail the city has to offer. From clothing stores to bookshops, we’ve scoured the city from Hamilton East to Frankton for the neatest places to indulge in a bit of retail therapy.
Making His Mark
Frankton
Man With a Plan
A Good Life
The Trekker and Traveler
Scientists in the Kitchen
The celebrity chef
A Guide to New Zealand's Coffee Roasters
Not all coffee is created equal, so in our guide to New Zealand’s coffee roasters, we pay homage to those roasting, brewing, and serving it the best. You’ll find micro-roasters rubbing shoulders with the country’s biggest producers.
