Hamilton straddles the Waikato River, New Zealand's longest, in the middle of some of the richest dairy country on earth. It is the country's fourth-largest city, a university and agricultural research town, and it is often treated by passing travellers as somewhere to get through on the way to somewhere else. That is a little unfair, but on a ride to Taupō it is mostly what it is: a place to fill the tank, eat something and get back on the road.
If you have an hour, though, Hamilton Gardens is genuinely worth it. Laid out along the river, the gardens are a series of themed spaces representing different traditions of garden design through history, from an Indian char bagh to an Italian Renaissance garden and a Māori kitchen garden, and they have won international awards. The river itself, wide and green, flows through the city with walking and cycling paths along its banks.
The Waikato region played a central role in New Zealand history. In the 1860s, colonial forces invaded the Waikato during the New Zealand Wars, defeating the Kīngitanga, the Māori King movement, and confiscating large areas of land. The consequences are still felt and discussed today. The Kīngitanga remains an important institution, centred at Tūrangawaewae Marae in Ngāruawāhia, a little north of Hamilton.
For riding, the Waikato is mostly rolling farmland, green and gentle, with the modern Waikato Expressway carrying most of the traffic. South of Hamilton, the roads towards Cambridge and Tīrau pass through horse studs and dairy farms, and the hills start to rise as you approach the volcanic plateau. Matamata, where the Hobbiton movie set lies, is a short detour to the east. Hamilton has everything you might need: fuel, supermarkets, motorcycle shops and plenty of cafés. Weather is generally mild, but the Waikato can be foggy in winter mornings, so ride carefully at dawn.