ExploreTūhuratia Karāpiro

Discover the Waikato River, Karāpiro Dam and Maungatautari Mountain.

Tūhuratia te awa o Waikato, te pāwai o Karāpiro me te maunga o Maungatautari.

Overview

Tirohanga whānui

5 stopsE 5 ngā tūnga1-2 hours1-2 haora

Karāpiro is a hydroelectric lake on the Waikato River. It is a 10 minute drive from Cambridge. The river has flowed through the Waikato region for more than 20,000 years. It has been a source of physical and spiritual sustenance from the time of the earliest tūpuna (Māori ancestors) until today. Above Karāpiro stands Maungatautari, a culturally and ecologically important mountain. Journey with us along the lakeshore, towards the mountain, and to a lookout above Karāpiro Dam.

He punahiko wai a Karāpiro i te awa o Waikato. Kua rere te awa i te rohe o Waikato mō ngā tau e 20,000, nuku atu. He puna whakaora ā-tinana, ā-wairua anō hoki te awa mai anō i te wā o ngā tūpuna taketake, tae noa mai ki tēnei rā. Kei runga ake i a Karāpiro a Maungatautari e tū ana, he maunga whaimana ā-ahurea, ā-hauropi anō tēnei. Hoake tātou ki te tirotiro i ngā tahatika o te roto, ahu atu ki te maunga, ki te pourewa hoki kei runga ake i te pāwai o Karāpiro.

Get driving directionsTīkina ngā tohutohu mō te taraiwa Take the mobile tourMahia atu te tāpoi ā-waea

Mighty River Domain – Overview StopMighty River Domain – Te Wāhi Tirohanga Whānui

Orientate yourself to this area and learn why it is significant.

Whakamōhio i a koe ki te takiwā nei, me te ako, he aha i hirahira ai.

A Unique LandscapeHe Whenua Ahurei

Discover what makes these lands and waters geologically and culturally special.

Kimihia he aha te take i ahurei ā-nuku ai, ā-ahurea ai anō hoki ēnei whenua me ēnei wai.

Taumatawīwī Battle SiteTe Pakanga o Taumatawīwī

Learn about the battle that culminated around this cliff face in 1830 – one of the last times traditional Māori weapons were used in warfare.

Ākona ngā kōrero mō te pakanga i puta ai i tēnei pari i te tau 1830 – tētehi o ngā wā whakamutunga i whakamahia ai ngā rākau a Tūmatauenga i te pakanga.

Industry and EnterpriseNgā Ahumahi me Ngā Umanga

Hear about the prosperous sites of Māori harvest and industry that were located in this area in the past.

Whakarongo ki ngā kōrero mō ngā wāhi tōnui i hauhake ai te Māori, i tū ai anō ana umanga i tēnei rohe i ngā rā o mua.

Maungatautari MountainTe Maunga o Maungatautari

Learn about flora and fauna conservation on Maungatautari, and discover the spiritual and historical importance of the maunga (mountain).

Ako i ngā kōrero mō ngā kaupapa whakahaumanu i a ngāi tupu me ngāi kīrehe i runga i a Maungatautari, ā, tūhuratia hoki te whai tikanga o te taha wairua me te taha hītoria o te maunga.

Outlook Over DamTirohanga atu i te Pāwai

Step back to a time when many pā (Māori settlements) surrounded the river, then learn about about the development of hydroelectricity here.

E hoki ki te wā nehe nō te wā e kapi ana te awa i ngā pā tuatinitini, kātahi ka ako i te whanaketanga o te hiko punawai.

Sample Story

He tīpakonga kōrero

Forests of Maungatautari

Whare Pēke

Significant areas of old-growth forest remain on Maungatautari. New forest is regenerating and bird populations growing, thanks to the Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari project.

Removing goats, pigs, deer and possums has helped new trees and plants emerge. The forest changes as you move up the mountain. Lower elevations have a canopy of tawa and pukatea, with rimu and rātā poking through. Higher up, tāwari thrives.

Parataniwha (New Zealand Begonia) plants have regenerated at the stream margins, creating a better environment for kōura (freshwater crayfish) and fish like kōkopu. A population of kōkako birds have been reintroduced to the forest – they have established themselves on the ridge lines. 50 tuatara – reptiles changed little from the time of the dinosaurs, that evolved in a forest environment – have been released on the mountain.

I whakatūria e Kīngi Tāwhiao, te Kīngi Māori tuarua, tētehi whare pēke i te maunga o Maungatautari i ngā tau o te tekau tau 1880.

I whakahaerehia te pēke o Te Peeke o Aotearoa e te Māori, ā, i whakatairangatia te mana motuhaketanga o te Māori. I whakatūria te pēke e Kīngi Tāwhiao i muri mai i tana hokinga mai i Te Rohe Pōtae, i te wāhi i noho ai rātou ko ngā iwi i noho whenua kore mō ngā tau 17 i muri mai i te whakaeketanga o ngā hōia Pākehā i te rohe o Waikato i te tau 1863 me te tau 1864, nā rātou i raupatu ngā whenua Māori 1.2 miriona eka. I hiahiatia te pēke nei he kore nō ngā pēke Pākehā e whakaae ki te tautoko i ngā Māori.

Kua whakatū kē a Kīngi Tāwhiao i ētehi atu kaupapa hei oranga mō tōna iwi, pēnei i te niupepa o Te Hokioi e Rere Atu Na me te whakapono Pai Mārire. Kāore e roa i muri mai ka whakatūria e ia tōna anō paremata.

Take the mobile tourMahia atu te tāpoi ā-waea

Presented ByNā
Nathalia JellymanRahui Papa

Graphic Novel

He pūrākau whai whakaahua

Battle of Taumatawīwī

Te Pakanga o Taumatawīwī

The story of the Battle of Taumatawīwī, waged on the Waikato riverbank in 1830 – one of the last times traditional Māori weapons were used in battle.

Te korero o Taumatawīwī, i whawhaitia i te tahataha o Waikato i te tau 1830 – tētehi o ngā wā whakamutunga i whakamahia ai ko ngā rākau whawhai taketake a te Māori.

Travel Information

He mōhiohio ā-kaihora

For best experience of the mobile tour, pack some earphones so you can easily hear the video stories while out and about at Lake Karāpiro.

Kia riro pai i ngā hua o te haerenga nei mā runga waea, kawea mai ētehi purutaringa kia rangona pai ai ngā kiriata whakamārama.

Getting There

Hei huarahi ki reira

If you’re travelling from Hamilton, allow 30 minutes to get to Lake Karāpiro. If you’re coming from Cambridge it’s a 12 minute drive. Lake Karāpiro can also be reached as part of Te Awa walk and cycleway. When crossing over the dam, please wait for the traffic signals as this is a narrow one-way road. Events with big crowds happen frequently at the Mighty River Domain during summer weekends, so keep an eye out for signage on the road. Gate 2 on Maungatautari Road is usually the best entrance to access car parking.

Mehemea e haramai ana i Kirikiriroa, whakawāteahia te 30 meneti kia tae ki te roto o Karāpiro. Mehemea e haramai ana i Kemureti, he 12 meneti te roa o te taraiwa. E taea ana te haere ki Karāpiro mā te ara whīkoi, pahikara hoki o Te Awa. Ka whakawhiti ana i te whakapuni, e tū kia aro ake ki ngā rama ārahi, i te mea he ara whāiti, ahutahi hoki tēnei huarahi. He rite tonu te tū o ngā taiopenga, me ngā whakaminenga nui ki te Mighty River Domain i ngā wīkene o te raumati, nō reira, kia mataara ki ngā momo papatohu i te rori. Ko te Kēti 2 i te rori o Maungatautari te tomokanga pai ake ki te uru ki te wāhi tūnga waka.

Mighty River Domain

Located on the shoreline of Lake Karāpiro, Mighty River Domain is one of New Zealand's premier sports venues. Every year it showcases a variety of national events, and has been the stage for memorable international sporting occasions. You’re sure to spot rowers, yachters and kayakers while you’re here – or beach volleyball being played on the sand courts.

Kei te taharoto o Karāpiro, ko te Mighty River Domain, tētehi o ngā whaitua hākinakina whakahirahira rawa atu o Aotearoa. I ia tau, ka whakatairangatia ngā momo taiopenga ā-motu, ka mutu, ko ia te wāi mō ngā taiopenga hākinahina o te ao, kua titi kaha ki te mahara. Kāore e kore ka kite i ngā kaihoe, i ngā iati, i ngā kōreti i a koe i reira – i te poirewa oneone rānei i ngā kōti onepū.

Amenities

Ngā whakaahurutanga

You can find public toilets near the start of this tour, by the car park at the lake front. If you’re feeling hungry, Podium Cafe has great coffee, cabinet food, and a seasonal menu. Have a go on the fun and challenging playground with its huge slide, or take a dip in the lake – there are swimming zones in front of the Sir Don Rowlands Centre, or further down Maungatautari Road at Waipuke Park.

Ka kitea ngā whareiti tūmatawhānui i te tīmatanga o tēnei haerenga, i te taha o te tūnga waka i te taharoto. Mehemea e hiakai ana, he pai a Podium Cafe mō te kawhe, me te kai. Whakamātauhia te papa tākaro me te papa retireti nui, me kaukau rānei ki tew roto, kei mua tonu mai o te whare o Don Rowlands ngā wāhi kaukau, me haere tonu rānei i te rori o Maungatautari ki Waipuke Park.