Ngaruawahia

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Ngaruawahia

Ngāruawāhia (pronunciation: /ŋa:ɾuawa:hia/) (pop. 4000) is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand.

Two meanings have been put forward for the town's name. One meaning 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. [1]

A loose translation of the word Ngāruawāhia (Wāhia-ngā-rua) means the place of the two rivers in Māori, a reference to the joining of the Waipa and Waikato rivers.^{[citation needed]}

1 Geography
2 1863 Invasion
3 Home of the Kīngitanga
4 Music festivals
5 Railway Accident
6 Sport
7 Turangawaewae Rugby League
8 Former Residents
9 See also
10 Notes

[edit] Geography

Waikato River, passing through Ngāruawāhia

Ngāruawāhia is located 20 km north-west of Hamilton at the confluence of the Waikato and Waipa Rivers.

[edit] 1863 Invasion

After the Invasion of the Waikato in 1863 by British imperial forces the town was re-named Newcastle, but reverted to Ngāruawāhia soon after.

[edit] Home of the Kīngitanga

Ngāruawāhia is home to the Māori Kīngitanga or King Movement. This was the official residence of the late Māori Queen, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu. Tūrangawaewae Marae is on the eastern bank of the Waikato River in Ngāruawāhia.

[edit] Music festivals

Several Music festivals have been held near the town, the first in 1970, and a series from 1979 onwards.

[edit] Railway Accident

A train derailed on 14 March 1998 after a load moved in transit and then struck a through-truck bridge. The wagons piled high on the superstructure of the Waikato River Bridge, and there was major damage to the bridge.^[1]^[2]

[edit] Sport

The township supports a range of sporting teams. Ngaruawahia United, known as "The Green Machine", is the local soccer club, founded in 1968. As of 2007, it comprised ten junior sides, four senior sides and a women's team. The senior men's team competes in the Northern League Division 1 competition along with its Reserve side. At the beginning of 2008 the Northern League competition was rearranged. This means that Ngaruawahia United has their A team in the Northern League, their B team in the Federation League and their C team in the Waikato League.

[edit] Turangawaewae Rugby League

Ngaruawahia is the home of the Rugby League team known as Turangawaewae, which is named after the Marae opposite the Turangawaewae RLC (Rugby League Club). The Club currently holds the record for the first ever Team to win Back To Back in The Wai Coa Bay Premiers Competition which is held every year and consists of all teams in the Waikato, Coast and Bay Of Plenty area.^{[citation needed]}