Waikato Plains
The Waikato Plains (translated: "Waikato Plains") are a large largely flat area in the northwest of the North Island of New Zealand . The plain is the natural floodplain of the Waikato River , New Zealand's longest river.
Location and transport links
The Waikato Plains area comprises the river's catchment area north of the line between Te Awamutu and Rotorua, west of the hill country to the Hauraki Plains and south of the town of Pukekohe .
In terms of administration, the area is largely part of the Waikato region . Compared to the usual population densities in New Zealand, the plain is heavily populated, over 250,000 people live on the 8,000 km² area of the Waikato Plains, but around half of them are already in Hamilton , the largest city in the region and capital of the district.
The area is crossed from northwest to southeast by the New Zealand State Highway 1 , here referred to as the Thermal Explorer Highway , from Te Aroha the SH 26 leads to Hamilton, there is also one in the southwest of the North Island via the SH 39 and SH 3 Connection. The North Island Main Trunk Railway , the main route of the New Zealand Railway on the North Island between Auckland and Wellington, runs parallel to SH 1 and SH 3 .
Land use
The plain is covered by very fertile soils, so that intensive agriculture with pasture farming ( cattle , sheep ) and grain cultivation can be practiced here. The dairy industry in particular forms the basis of the local economy. In the areas west of Hamilton, numerous wine-growing areas have emerged, which are to be expanded further in the coming years. To the east of Hamilton are some of the southern hemisphere's best known horse breeding businesses.
There is a considerable area of peat in which the material is extracted as fuel, but many areas are still swampy and humid today. There are countless other small lakes around Lake Waikare , which is located in the middle of the plain.
Emergence
The landscape now known as the Waikato and Hauraki Plains was shaped by the Waikato River over a period of several thousand years. The course of the river changed several times over this period and constantly changed the landscape. More than 20,000 years ago the Waikato River flowed into the Firth of Thames , today's northern end of the Hauraki Plains. Due to numerous volcanic activities in the volcanic area around Lake Taupo , lava and ash were repeatedly carried into the Waikato river basin. This light material was deposited and over time formed new hilly landscapes that form today's eastern border of the Waikato Plains. Around 12,000 years ago, volcanic activity decreased to such an extent that not so much sediment material could get into the river and the river changed its mouth to the Tasman Sea . Another period of strong volcanic activity around 2000 years ago caused the Waikato River to be temporarily blocked by sediment deposits and natural dams to form. This gave rise to the lakes in the Waikato Plains, which are known today.
National awareness
The Waikato region achieved national fame through numerous locations in the film trilogy Lord of the Rings . While the area around the mouth of the Waikato River was used as hill country around the weather tip, the village of the hobbits , Hobbiton was built in the east near the place Matamata .
Web links
- Waikato Wetlands - The Formation of Waikato Wetlands . Department of Conservation, archived from the original on September6, 2004; accessed on April 26, 2018(English, original website no longer available).