No visit to Ōtorohanga would be complete without checking out the real deal, the iconic nocturnal kiwi. Photo / Hamilton and Waikato Tourism
Prepare to be fascinated, amused and even a bit nostalgic in Ōtorohanga, a 45-minute drive south of Hamilton in the heart of the King Country.
As part of the Mighty Local story series, the Waikato Herald is this week visiting Ōtorohanga to find out why it claims to be the official Kiwiana Town of New Zealand.
Located on the way to the Waitomo Caves region, Ōtorohanga celebrates our national identity with displays of Kiwi icons, heroes, and traditions.
Just about everything that is quintessentially Kiwi can be seen in the Sir Edmund Hillary Walkway in the middle of town, from the Buzzy Bee kids’ toy, pavlova, gumboots and school milk to the haka, and the vote for women (New Zealand gave women the vote in 1893, the first country in the world to do so).
The interactive display is free, always open and provides fascinating insights into our popular culture in 26 exhibits.
Around town, there are also many other Kiwiana displays, corrugated iron kiwi sculptures - and even the public toilets are Kiwiana-themed.
No visit to Ōtorohanga would be complete without checking out the real deal, the iconic nocturnal bird that is so intrinsically New Zealand.
Set in park-like surroundings, the world-famous Ōtorohanga Kiwi House and Native Bird Park give you a chance to see kiwi in innovatively designed nocturnal enclosures.
Dedicated to the conservation of our native wildlife, the park incubates and raises kiwi chicks for release into the wild.
Many other native birds such as tūī, ruru (morepork), kea and kākāriki (parakeet) are housed in a walk-through aviary where a natural rainforest habitat has been recreated for them. Visitors can also get a glimpse of native insects such as the giant wētā and reptiles including the rare tuatara.
Kiwiana and kiwi aside, the Ōtorohanga Stopbank Pathway that runs along the Waipa River protecting the town from flooding risk is a great walking and cycling track, with works of art to be admired along the way.
A collection of the town’s pioneering buildings includes a museum, as well as the specially constructed Waka House where a partially completed waka dating back 150-plus years is on display. The canoe, nearly 12 metres long, still has some tree roots at the stern end, while the bow has been shaped.
Ōtorohanga has a range of shopping options including the locally renowned Haddad Menswear, which opened its doors in 1965. The town’s eateries also beckon, including O Café, The Thirsty Weta and the Fat Kiwi Café filled with tasty house-made fare, while local coffee roaster Origin Coffee can be found in the old railway station.
About an hour from Ōtorohanga on the western shoreline of the Waikato is one of the most remarkable places in the world to also immerse yourself.
It’s Kāwhia Hot Water Beach, where Te Puia Hot Spring bubbles to the surface right there on the beach for two hours on either side of low tide.
In true do-it-yourself style, you dig your own spa pool in the sand. Lazing in the warm water is best enjoyed when the low tide coincides with the setting of the sun out over the ocean.
To ensure your visit is in sync with the low tide at sunset, go online to check out tide tables for Kāwhia.
Other ways to be refreshed by nature in the Kāwhia area include beach walks – the black iron-rich sands do heat up in the summer sun, so be sure to bring adequate footwear – or walking trails through the forest, around the harbour and even to the sister harbour, Aotea, to the north.
Visitors to Kāwhia looking for a tasty bite will be treated to locally caught fish and home-grown produce. A local favourite, The Rusty Snapper Café, offers fresh fish and chips or if a good pie is what tickles your tastebuds, call in at Oparau Roadhouse.
Kāwhia is steeped in history, both Māori, particularly that of the local Tainui people, and European.
In 1350AD, the ancestral Tainui waka (canoe) arrived in Kāwhia Harbour, with the people settling around the area. The waka is buried at Maketu Marae to the south of the town, where the landing place is marked by a grove of trees including the sacred pōhutukawa Tangi Te Korowhiti. In 2022 Tangi Te Korowhiti was voted as the first-ever Rākau o te tau / Tree of the year NZ Aotearoa.
The history of the area is on display at the local museum, housed in the waterfront offices of the former Kāwhia County Council. Here visitors can see Jurassic period fossils, art and artifacts, historic photographs and a whaleboat constructed in the late 1800s out of local kauri.