The Waikato Museum of Art and History is located in Hamilton and contains New Zealand art, historical exhibits, particularly Te Winika , one of the rare waka (Māori war canoe) dating from before the surviving colonization. It also includes a mail art gallery.
There are three theaters in Hamilton: Founders Theater, Clarence Street Theater, and The Meteor.
Hamilton Gardens is the most popular tourist attraction in the region. The park consists of gardens of different types (English garden, French garden, Italian garden, Japanese garden, etc.), As well as small gazebos. The Hamilton Gardens Summer Festival is held here every year.
Hamilton has six public libraries, and the central library contains a significant historical collection. The city also has a zoo and a casino .
In 2004, the city council erected a bronze statue of Richard O’Brien, creator of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and former resident of the city, on the site of the former Embassy movie theater. The statue represents O’Brien as Riff Raff in his astronaut costume.
North of Hamilton is the village of Ngaruawahia, the capital of the Māori royalist movement during the Second Territorial War, a center of Māori culture, home to the Marae of Turangawaewa and the home of Māori king Tuheitia Paki.
Hotels, hostels and other
Microtel Backpackers. Nice hostel, but the single rooms are tiny. $29 for a bed, $49 for a single room, $69 for a double.
Backpackers Central, 846 Victoria St. Central location, breakfast included, but some rooms have no windows, so it gets hot in the summer.
City Center Hamilton Bed and Breakfast. The studio cottage sleeps up to three people and includes a kitchenette, bathroom, courtyard parking, free internet access. A five-minute walk from downtown Hamilton.
Shailers Bed & Breakfast. A luxury home or farm 12 minutes from Hamilton, in the heart of New Zealand’s most fertile region, the Waikato. Tours of a three hundred cow dairy farm.
Quest Apartments Hamilton. 26 1 bedroom apartments and 3 studio apartments in downtown Hamilton. Easy access to Hamilton’s main bars, casinos, stores and information center.
Heartland Ambassador Hotel Hamilton. Free Wi-Fi, outdoor pool, hot tub, BBQ facilities.
Ibis Tainui.
Novotel Hamilton. The city’s largest hotel and the only 4.5-star hotel near Hamilton’s only casino.