Matamata

Matamata
Matamata
Coordinates: 37°49′S 175°46′E / 37.817°S 175.767°E / -37.817; 175.767Coordinates: 37°49′S 175°46′E / 37.817°S 175.767°E / -37.817; 175.767
Country New Zealand
Region Waikato
Territorial authority Matamata-Piako District
Electorate Waikato
Government
 • Mayor Jan Barnes
Elevation 63 m (207 ft)
Population (June 2016)[1]
 • Urban 7,730
Time zone NZST (UTC+12)
 • Summer (DST) NZDT (UTC+13)
Postcode 3400
Area code(s) 07
Sign in Matamata identifying town as the location where the Hobbiton scenes from the Lord of the Rings were filmed
Livestock in Matamata

Matamata /ˈmætəˌmætə/ is a town in the Waikato Region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located near the base of the Kaimai Ranges, and is a thriving farming area known for Thoroughbred horse breeding and training pursuits. It is part of the Matamata-Piako District, which takes in the surrounding rural areas as well as Morrinsville and Te Aroha. State Highway 27 and the Kinleith Branch railway run through the town. The town has a population of 7,730 as of June 2016.[1]

A nearby farm was the location for the Hobbiton Movie Set in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings. The New Zealand government decided to leave the Hobbit holes built on location as tourist attractions, since they were designed to blend seamlessly into the environment. During the interim period filming The Return of the King and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey they had no furniture or props, but could be entered with vistas of the farm viewed from inside them.[2] A "Welcome to Hobbiton" sign has been placed on the main road. In 2011 parts of Hobbiton began to close in preparation for the three new movies based on the first Tolkien novel, The Hobbit.

History

In the early nineteenth century, the area including and surrounding the present-day Matamata township was part of the territory of the Ngāti Hauā. The Matamata pā itself was actually located near the present-day settlement of Waharoa, approximately 6 kilometres (4 miles) to the north.

The first European thought to have visited the Matamata area was the trader Phillip Tapsell in about 1830.[3] In 1833 the Reverend Alfred Nesbit Brown visited the area and in 1835 opened a mission near Matamata Pa, but this closed the following year when intertribal warfare broke out.[3] In 1865 Josiah Firth negotiated with Ngāti Hauā leader Wiremu Tamihana and leased a large area of land, including the future site of the town which he named after the pā.[3] Firth constructed a dray road to Cambridge and cleared the Waihou River so that it was navigable by his (small) boats.[3]

Firth's estate later failed and by 1904 had been wholly obtained by the Crown and was subdivided into dairy farm units[4] to take advantage of the new technology of refrigeration. It became a dependent Town District in 1917, an independent Town District in 1919 and was constituted a borough in 1935.[3] With the re-organisation of territorial authorities in New Zealand in 1989, Matamata became part of the Matamata-Piako District.

Media

Matamata is the home of various media outlets, including studios for tvCentral, TV Rotorua and iTV Live, which is unusual for a town of such size.

Sports

Matamata is home to the Matamata Swifts soccer team, who compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 1A.

Schools

Secondary schools

Intermediate schools

Primary schools

Religious schools

Matamata district schools

Notable people

Nearby towns

Smaller towns nearby are:

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Subnational Population Estimates: At 30 June 2016 (provisional)". Statistics New Zealand. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016. For urban areas, "Subnational population estimates (UA, AU), by age and sex, at 30 June 1996, 2001, 2006-16 (2017 boundary)". Statistics New Zealand. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  2. ↑ "Matamata Area Guide". Retrieved 2009-01-07.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 'MATAMATA', from An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 22-Apr-09
  4. ↑ D. B. Waterson. 'Firth, Josiah Clifton', from the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 18-Sep-2013
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