The Waikato Plains are a large area of low-lying land in the northwest of the North Island of New Zealand. They are the floodplains of the Waikato River, the country's longest river.
The plains can be divided roughly into the Waikato Basin (or Middle Waikato Plain), extending in all directions around the city of Hamilton, and the Lower Waikato Plain, nearer the river's mouth. The two are broken by the rough, low-lying hills of the Hakarimata Range, between Ngaruawahia and Huntly, and the Taupiri Range.
The region is heavily populated by New Zealand standards, with over 250,000 people in approximately 8000 km² area. Just under half of these live in Hamilton.
The plains are an area of very fertile land, which is intensively farmed. Dairy cattle, sheep, grain and maize are all farmed here, but it is dairy that is the staple of the local economy. The lower plain is also known for vineyards, and the middle plain has some of the southern hemisphere's top thoroughbred stables, notably around the towns of Cambridge and Matamata.
A considerable amount of the land is peaty, and some sections are undrained swamp. Several shallow riverine lakes lie at the southern end of the lower plain, notably Lake Waikare.
Famous quotes containing the word plains:
“When I say artist I don’t mean in the narrow sense of the word—but the man who is building things—creating molding the earth—whether it be the plains of the west—or the iron ore of Penn. It’s all a big game of construction—some with a brush—some with a shovel—some choose a pen.”
—Jackson Pollock (1912–1956)