Notes

Pictorial memories of early New Zealand.
The history of the Waikato has been shaped by its topography - the fertile land around the Waikato River was in much demand by settlers and in the fighting that followed the Maori retreated to the rugged wilderness of the King Country. At first settlers scratched a living from the land, often abandoining smallholdings in despair. But over time lush farms were created and small towns such as Hamilton and Cambridge grew into the thriving centres they are today.