Story: City history and people

Hamilton West

Hamilton West

Hamilton was founded in 1864 as a British military base during the New Zealand wars. Its initial purpose was to stop ‘hostile’ Māori travelling on the Waikato River. Redoubts were built on elevated sites on both sides of the river, and settlements developed below them. A punt – shown in this 1866 photo of the west bank – connected the two sides.

Using this item

Auckland City Libraries - Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero, Sir George Grey Special Collections
Reference: 7-A10635

Permission of Auckland City Libraries Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

David Thorns and Ben Schrader, 'City history and people - Types of towns', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/23497/hamilton-west (accessed 30 March 2024)

Story by David Thorns and Ben Schrader, published 11 Mar 2010