Te Rapa
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It has been suggested that Waterworld, Hamilton be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) |
| Te Rapa | |
|---|---|
| City: | Hamilton, New Zealand |
| Island | North Island |
| Surrounded by: | |
| To the north: | rural |
| To the north-east: | Pukete |
| To the east: | Saint Andrews, Waikato |
| To the south-east: | Beerescourt |
| To the south/south-west: | Forest Lake |
| To the west: | Frankton, Waikato |
| To the north-west: | rural |
Te Rapa is a mixed light industrial, large scale retail and semi-rural suburb to the northwest of central Hamilton, New Zealand.
Stretching in a long, thin north-south axis, Te Rapa is home to a large number of factories including Te Rapa Dairy Factory, one of the largest of its kind in the world. Also located in Te Rapa is Te Rapa Racecourse, Hamilton's only remaining horse racing course and the main race course for the Waikato region.
Before its return to the Tainui tribe in a Raupatu land settlement, Te Rapa was also the site of a Royal New Zealand Air Force base. The Te Rapa Airforce Base was perhaps unique among New Zealand air force bases in that it did not include a runway - being a base for helicopters.
Waterworld, a Hamilton city council owned pool complex resides in Te Rapa.
The name lives on in 'The Base' - a large scale retail development that includes the largest 'The Warehouse' in New Zealand (at time of writing - May 2006) and a 'Dressmart' outlet mall.
The suburb is the site of a number of important railway linkages in the New Zealand railway network, mainly the North Island Main Trunk Railway and East Coast Main Trunk Railway. The suburb is the northern terminus of the North Island Main Trunk electrification, a large locomotive depot and formerly a large marshaling yard.
