Pukekawa

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For the Auckland Domain volcano of the same name see, see Auckland Domain.

Pukekawa is a small rural community located in the Lower Waikato area of Franklin District, New Zealand. It is about an hour's drive south of Auckland. Pukekawa, an extinct volcano, is one of the oldest volcanic cones in the Auckland region. The area's fertile soils are used to grow a range of vegetables, including onions, potatoes and carrots. At the heart of Pukekawa is a primary school, church and a garage/service station.

The murders of Harvey and Jeanette Crewe in June 1970 thrust Pukekawa into the national headlines. Local farmer Arthur Allan Thomas was jailed for the killings, but he was found to have been wrongly convicted and was pardoned by the Governor-General on 17 December 1979. He was awarded $1 million compensation. The story was made into a film in 1980 called "Beyond Reasonable Doubt."