friendship force

....About our Club....

....The Club was chartered in 1990. The club has taken its name from being based in the Western Waikato region of Hamilton. From outside Western Waikato, the region arches north to Ngaruawahia, west to Raglan, and south to Otorohanga. We are 130kms south of Auckland and our club has a mixture of farming and town folks. We have around 35 members.

About the region: The lush, fertile Waikato region wears a mantle of wealth unsurpassed elsewhere in New Zealand and is one of the world's richest pastoral farming areas. Here graze some of the finest dairy herds; here bloodstock with revered names foal the next generation of Pacific horseracing champions. Here New Zealand's 'most used' longest river, the Waikato, has twelve power stations, which produce electricity for much of the North Island, as well as having some superb freshwater lakes for water-skiing, rowing and trout fishing. Satellite towns provide interesting outings, all within a half hour drive from Hamilton.
We are close to the sea - 48kms to the west is the Tasman Sea, and 108kms to the East is the Pacific Ocean. You can swim in both within a day. Waitomo Caves (68kms), Rotorua. (109kms) and Lake Taupo (153kms) are all well-known attractions and are close to hand.
Ngaruawahia hosts the much-venerated Marae (meeting place) of the Maori King - Tuheitia - with its elaborately carved buildings. Raglan is now a busy palm-shaded seaside town of around 2000 people, set on a splendid harbour giving access to the Tasman Sea and is world famous for its Left Hand Break (Surfing) and nearby, the extinct volcano of Mt Karioi (756metres) looms over the town. A major landmark in this Western Waikato region is graceful Mt Pirongia (962metres), whose slopes are included in a Forest Park with headquarters in the town.

About the exchange: We are only one & half hours drive south of Auckland International airport, based in the city of Hamilton, the 4th largest city in NZ with a population of around 130,000. We are a friendly, social club; we have BBQs, shared meals in our homes, bus tours, local visits to points of interest and a Mayoral reception. Extra trips can be negotiated with the club prior to the exchange at the Ambassadors' cost. The best time to visit our club is Autumn (March/April) and Spring (September/October) The maximum number of Ambassadors our club can host is now 20. We like two inbound Exchanges and one outbound Exchange a year.