Known for its leafy streets, heritage buildings, antique shops and thoroughbred horse studs, here are our top ten things to do in Cambridge in Waikato.
I wasn’t really expecting much. Just another pretty New Zealand town with a main street and a bakery, right? Wrong. Cambridge ambushed us with its many charms. An hour south of Hamilton in the North Island’s gorgeous Waikato region, Cambridge is surrounded by stud farms, cherry blossoms and hidden lakes. The architecture is gorgeous. There’s art tucked into unexpected corners, vintage shops filled with the kind of finds that make my daughter squeal and restaurants that could hold their own in any major city.
We arrive tired. We leave plotting how to uproot our entire lives and move here. In fact, it takes less than 24 hours before we’re googling rental prices.
Here’s why Cambridge in Waikato should be on your New Zealand itinerary, and why you should probably book an extra night or two, just in case.
1. Cambridge architecture
With its wide streets, heritage buildings and gorgeous white timber churches, I think Cambridge is one of the prettiest towns in New Zealand. Our introduction to its charms begins with the fabulous Victoria Bridge, a 1900s steel-arched engineering marvel that carries us into town. The road deck sits about 35 metres above the Waikato River, high enough to make us very aware of the drop when you glance sideways. Skinny by modern standards, it was built for horses and carts in an era that clearly did not envision SUVs with bulging side mirrors. As we cross, the lanes tighten, forcing us to slow down and behave for a few seconds.
Once across, the town’s heritage reveals itself in full. Among the historic buildings, St Andrew’s Anglican Church is a showstopper. Built in 1881 from heart kauri by Irish architect Edward Mahoney, it commands attention with a steeple that reaches 33 metres, the highest point in Cambridge.
Beautifully preserved, the church houses a unique treasure: the only set of steel, swing-change-chimed bells in the entire Southern Hemisphere, each one rung separately by a team working in concert under a caller’s direction.
The old Presbyterian church, dating back to 1898, is also lovely, except now it’s Good Union, a cafe and pub that’s added a hot pink door for a crazy pop of colour against all that white timber and Victorian propriety.
The Cambridge Museum, housed in the old 1909 Courthouse, is another stunner with its Neo-Classic facade with Ionic capitals, kauri ceilings inside and varnished rimu dados.
The Town Hall, built in 1909, dominates Jubilee Gardens. Built from white Huntly brick with red accents, this imposing building screened Cambridge’s first talking pictures in 1929, became an emergency hospital during the 1918 flu epidemic and even hosted Queen Elizabeth II for lunch in 1954.
The Clements Hotel is even older. Erected in 1866 as the town’s first hotel, it was destroyed by fire in November 1911 and rebuilt in 1912 in the elegant Beaux Arts style. It’s recently been restored and reopened as a boutique luxury hotel with 29 rooms and a speakeasy bar in the original 150-year-old basement.
2. Cambridge town centre
Along with these key buildings, the main street is lined with Victorian and Edwardian buildings painted in heritage colours and my daughter insists on snapping every detail, from the wrought iron fretwork on the balconies to the pressed zinc ceilings visible through shop doorways. We wander past cafes, galleries and boutiques, stopping every few metres so she can capture whatever bit of architectural loveliness catches her eye until we stumble on an adorable little red telephone box library on Empire Street, where you can swap books for free. We both swoon over the aesthetics and the concept.
There are some great galleries and a few good murals scattered around town too. We especially love Vanessa Barclay’s The World Is In Our Hands and a quirky piece in Duke Street by Martin Jan de Groot. There’s also a more traditional life-sized bronze of a mare and foal outside the Town Hall on Victoria Street, celebrating the town’s equine industry.
3. Cambridge vintage and antique stores
One of the most popilar things to do in Cambridge is scour the vintage and antique shops, which suits my bowerbird daughter who loves nothing more than a thrifting quest and tears through every rack until she scores a prize. This time that prize was a hillbilly hubcap banjo that she digs up for her brother at the Salvation Army Family Store. It’s a find that makes zero sense and is an utter bitch to get through customs, but to her (and her brother) it is gold.
We lose hours in piles of clothes, toys and curios stacked so high that Marie Kondo would scream. But my maximalist daughter is in heaven. Our favourites are Ampersand Retro, stuffed with trinkets from the 1930s to 1970s; Alys Antiques, with its painfully beautiful pieces; and Colonial Heritage Antiques, which is packed with rare books and estate jewellery in the old Central Hotel building.
4. Cambridge’s gardens of earthly delight
Between the lake, the arboretum and pocket parks dotted throughout, Cambridge is ridiculously green but during our visit cherry blossoms hijacked the colour palette, drenching the city in pale pink.
For lovers of the outdoors, Lake Te Koo Utu sits in Cambridge’s heart. Born 1,800 years ago when Taupo’s volcanic debris dammed a wayward stream of the Waikato River, there’s an easy 1 km loop trail that rewards us with pukekos stalking through the reeds and cherry blossoms snowing pink petals at the water’s edge. They aren’t the only blooms nearby. 20 minutes from Cambridge is the Te Awamutu Rose Garden, a renowned public garden with over 2500 rose plants in large, formal beds, that bloom in ridiculous profusion from November until May.
For those who want to really soak in all that green gorgeousness, The Te Awa River Ride offers 65 kilometres of purpose-built cycling and walking trail between Ngāruawāhia and Lake Karapiro with elevated boardwalks carrying you over wetlands, bridges spanning waterways, and picnic spots strategically placed where the views demand you stop and stare. New Zealand’s longest concrete trail, the smooth, three-metre-wide surface is accessible whether you’re on a road bike, pushing a pram or rolling along in a wheelchair.
From Cambridge, you’ve got options. Fancy an easy morning ride? The 3.5-kilometre section from the Gaslight Theatre to the Grassroots Trust Velodrome is flat and lovely. Want something more substantial? The eight-kilometre stretch to Karapiro rewards you with stunning river views or take on the hillier 7.5-kilometre section from the Velodrome to Hooker Road, where you’ll earn spectacular views across the farmland and river valley that make the climbs worthwhile.
You can join the trail at the Leamington Rugby Club on Carlyle Street or at Alpha Street in town, both offering easy parking and clear signposting. Parts of the route open up sections of the Waikato River that were previously hidden behind private farmland, giving you access to landscapes that generations of locals never got to see from this perspective.
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari © Hamilton & Waikato Tourism
For serious nature lovers, Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is the kind of place that makes you understand what New Zealand used to be like before humans arrived. At 3,400 hectares, it’s the largest pest-proof fenced sanctuary in mainland New Zealand, surrounded by 47 kilometres of predator-proof fence that keeps out rats, stoats, possums and cats. Step through those double gates and you’re in another world.
My daughter and I go with a guide, which is essential. Without someone who knows where to look and what to listen for, we would have walked right past half the magic. Our guide stops constantly to point out pītoitoi (North Island robins) hopping along the track and the call of a kākā high in the canopy. The forest itself is ancient, with massive trees creating a cathedral-like feeling as you walk. The whole experience feels like a privilege.
5. The Sculpture Park at Waitakaruru Arboretum
The Sculpture Park at Waitakaruru Arboretum is one of those places that restores your faith in people. In 1991, Dorothy and John Wakeling bought a derelict greywacke quarry overrun with gorse and blackberry, then spent three decades transforming it into 17.5 hectares of forest with more than 20,000 trees and over 100 sculptures along a 2 km trail. They opened it to the public in 2003 for a Hospice Waikato fundraiser and never stopped. Now run by a charitable trust, it’s protected as a permanent forest sink.
My daughter loves it. The combination of nature and art is perfect for her whimsical, wandering soul. Together, we spend hours discovering bronze figures peeking from behind ferns, abstract pieces that spark ridiculous debates about what the artist meant and hidden sculptures scattered throughout.
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6. Cambridge’s Camjet Jet Boat
© Camjet Jet Boat
A little bit eco tour, a little bit thrill ride, the Camjet Jet Boat tears along the Waikato River doing 360-degree spins that leave my daughter shrieking with joy and me white-knuckling the grab rail.
Camjet operates from the shores of Lake Karapiro, just a short drive from Cambridge town centre. The jet boats are purpose-built for the Waikato River, designed to navigate the currents and shallows while giving passengers an adrenaline-pumping experience. Tours run multiple times daily, combining high-speed thrills with environmental education about the river ecosystem and the region’s hydroelectric history.
Our driver hits the throttle and we’re flying across the water; then suddenly spinning, water spraying everywhere and my stomach left somewhere behind us. Between the heart-stopping manoeuvres, our guide knows his stuff, pointing out native fish and birdlife and sharing stories about the history of the river and the Karapiro Dam and power station. It’s a weirdly perfect combo of learning and thinking you might die. My daughter wants to go again immediately. I need a minute.
7. The Alpaca Experience
Oneofteh more unusualthings to do in Cambridge is the Alpaca Experience, a specialist farm that leaves my daughter giddy. There are baby alpacas with hairdos that belong on Raglan’s surf breaks, llamas so ridiculously pretty that they could have their own TikTok beauty accounts and a conga line of chickens that lead us to meet a herd of absurdly large and fluffy bison. But it’s hanging with a drove of miniature donkeys that has my girl rewriting her entire future around cuddles with livestock. Forget university; apparently the dream now involves a smallholding and an unreasonable number of adorable animals.
While the experience is currently located near Cambridge, it will be moving to Matamata in the new year and is a perfect add-on to a visit to Hobbiton.
8. Equestrian action in Cambridge
A lot of people visit Cambridge, Waikato’s most horsey town, to tour its world-class thoroughbred studs where racing champions are born and raised, watch early morning trackwork at the Cambridge Racecourse or visit during polo season to catch a match at the Cambridge Polo Club.
While I’m not a huge fan of horse racing for personal reasons, there’s still something lovely about seeing these magnificent animals grazing in their impossibly green paddocks with the backdrop of the Waikato landscape.
If you’re on the hunt for a little hands-on horsey action, Cambridge has plenty of opportunities. Pony Tales Riding offers lessons and school holiday programs for kids in a safe environment with qualified coaches and gentle school horses. For a more adventurous experience, Stonehill Horse Trek runs small group treks catering to all abilities from complete beginners to experienced riders, with stunning farmland views. Waikato Equestrian Centre is perfect for younger children with their Pony Enjoyment Time sessions and guided short farm rides. Even if your kids have never been near a horse before, these places will have them cantering through paddocks and bonding with their four-legged friends in no time.
9. Where to eat in Cambridge
Cambridge boasts one of New Zealand’s highest cafés-and-restaurants-per-capita ratios, and we made it our mission to test as many as we could during our visit. The food in this Waikato town is as good as any major city but it somehow tastes better here because you’re eating it in a town surrounded by cherry blossoms, hidden lakes and horses worth more than my car.
Hanoi Boy on Victoria Street is the real deal, serving authentic Vietnamese street food that has people driving from Hamilton just for pho and bun cha. The flavours are spot-on and the portions generous.
Koi on Lake Street does Indian fusion cuisine with whisky bar sophistication. The dahl and chicken biryani are both fragrant and perfectly spiced, finished with an icy pistachio and mango creation that’s as beautiful as it is refreshing. The whole place has a buzzing energy that makes you want to linger over another drink.
When we felt like something more casual, Good Union delivered. Housed in that Presbyterian church with the hot pink door, this gastropub has a mezzanine overlooking the dining hall and a gorgeously glowy stained glass window, and serves up burgers, pizzas and barbecue with a fun, relaxed vibe.
The short drive out to Lilypad Cafe on Kaipaki Road for breakfast proves absolutely worth it. Surrounded by garden art and paddocks, this country café serves killer coffee and food that tastes like someone’s grandmother is in the kitchen, in the best possible way. Other breakfast favourites are Paddock, which focuses on organic seasonal menus and Uncle D’Arcy’s at Hidden Lake Hotel and Apartments.
The Gallery at The Clements Hotel is where we go when we want to feel a little fancy. Elegant without being stuffy, the restaurant overlooks the hotel’s terrace and gardens, and the menu showcases local produce brilliantly.
Saving the best until last, Alpino is the best Italian I’ve had in years. Housed in a beautiful old post office building on Victoria Street, this place is the real deal. I have potato ravioli floating in butter that’s simple and perfect. My daughter’s ragu is so good she doesn’t want to share. The atmosphere is warm and relaxed, somewhere between a trattoria and a ristorante, with vintage furnishings and an open bar in the middle. But book ahead. It’s popular for a reason.
10. Where to stay in Cambridge in Waikato
WIth so many greatthinsg to see and do in Cambridgem you’e going to want to stay a while. There are plenty of accommodation options in Cambridge, each with its own appeal for different people on different budgets.
Our first night is spent at Cambridge TOP 10 Holiday Park, where we stay in a spacious and beautifully finished two-bedroom apartment with all the modern conveniences. My daughter spends most of the evening on the jumping pillow while I enjoy the pool. It’s a great family-friendly base with good facilities and a peaceful setting, and perfect if you’re road-tripping through the North Island.
We then move to Hidden Lake Hotel and Apartments. Family owned and eco conscious, the hotel sits right in the Lakewood precinct along the Waikato River. The spacious, luxuriously appointed rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the trees and lake, and all the mod cons you could need for a stay. Surrounded by some of Cambridge’s best restaurants, there is also a great in-house restaurant serving seriously good local cuisine when we don’t want to venture out. We’d reccomend this hotel as a base to anyone visiting the Waikato.
And while we don’t have the pleasure of an overnight stay, we do visit The Clements twice. Built in 1866 as the town’s first hotel, it has just been meticulously restored and reopened as a boutique luxury hotel with 29 rooms, sweeping timber staircases, stained-glass windows and a stunning speakeasy bar in the original 150-year-old basement. Even if you don’t stay here when visiting Cambridge in Waikato, it’s worth popping in for high tea or light snacks at the Gallery restaurant, just to see what they’ve done with the place. Because it’s bloody gorgeous!
Getting to Cambridge in Waikato, New Zlealand
Easy to reach thanks to Jetstar’s new direct flights to Hamilton Airport (HLZ) from Sydney and the Gold Coast, Cambridge and the whole Waikato Region hvae become incredibly accessible for Australian families. The airport is just a 20-minute drive from Cambridge, making it one of New Zealand’s most convenient regional destinations. Simply collect your rental car and you’ll be exploring this charming town before you know it.
Coming from Auckland? Cambridge is an easy 2-hour drive south via State Highway 1, making it perfect for a leisurely road trip through the lush Waikato countryside. The route is straightforward and well-signposted, with plenty of spots to stop along the way.
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An award-winning travel writer and photographer, Aleney de Winter was fresh from school when she first set off to explore the far reaches of Australia with a two-man tent and a beaten-up Kingswood for company. Three decades, and two kids later, and she's still on the go, with her itchy-footed offspring in tow. 