👋🏼 Hello Hamilton

Welcome to the 1,000 new members who have joined the community since last week! Thanks so much for joining us. I’m Ben from Hamilton East 👋🏼 and today we’re covering the best things happening in Hamilton this week, news headlines you can’t miss, and more. Not yet subscribed? Join almost 10,000 Hamiltonians here.

By the way, some exciting thing are happening at Hello Hamilton HQ (my house..). With the heatpump on turbo mode and a hot water bottle in hand, I’ve been reading through all of your feedback (reply directly to this email!) and am looking towards the bright future of Hello Hammy.

Don’t worry, there’ll be no big changes happening to this newsletter you’re reading, but there might be some exciting extras coming soon 👀

🎟️ What’s on in the Tron this week?

Climbtopia! Climbing Wall | Thu 3rd - Fri 11th at Chartwell Shopping Centre. Chartwell is bringing the adventure indoors with Climbtopia - a fun, free climbing wall experience designed just for kids. Info.  

Kids show: The Perfectly Peculiar Practice of Professor Penfold | Thu 3rd - Sat 5th at The Meteor. Join Professor Penfold in his race against time to create a fantastical solution to the city’s rubbish problem! This school holiday show is a wonderfully wacky, and joyful experience for people of all ages, kids and parents alike! Tickets.  

Production: The Mysterious Disappearance | Thursday to Saturday at Riverlea Theatre. It is December 1975, after Christmas, and Agatha Christie must finish her autobiography and the final novel before the new year. Yet, Agatha is fixated on an event in her past when Nancy Neele stole her husband. Info.  

School Holiday Programme: Taonga Puuoro | Thursday and Friday 9:00am at Waikato Museum. Make the most of the winter school holidays with this opportunity for your children to learn about and play traditional Maaori instruments. Tickets.  

Comedy Zone Show | Fri 4th 7:30pm at Skycity. Big 2 hour show featuring Josh Thompson, a regular comedian on The Project and Season 3 winner of Taskmaster, and Lana Walters, the 2024 Billy T Award winner. Hosted by Ben Hurley. Tickets.  

Kidz Korner Toy Library Sale | Sat 5th 9:00 - 10:30am at Chartwell Cooperating Church. This fundraising event will be selling retired toys from the library, as well as donated second hand toys, kids books and clothing. Info. 

Plant Sale | Sat 5th 9:30am - 1:00pm at Hamilton Gardens. Great range of plants including roses at great prices. Info.  

Crop swap | Sat 5th 10:30 - 11:00am at The Whare Kokonga. Bring your excess fruit, veggies, seeds, relishes, jams or baking and SWAP! Come on down, grab what you can or just see what's available.

Plantathon | Sat 5th 11:00am at Caernarvon Park. Hamilton City Council has set a goal to increase Hamilton's less than 2% native vegetation to 10% by 2050! Be prepared to come down with a spade and some gloves (if you have them). Register.  

Rock musical: The Toxic Avenger | Sat 5th - Sat 12th 7:30pm at The Meteor. New Jersey’s first Superhero takes the stage in this monster of a rock-comedy based on the classic cult film. Tickets.  

Live music: Jamesfest | Sat 5th 8:00pm at Last Place. A celebration of birth, featuring a couple of the coolest bands in Hamilton, Speed Dating, Future Dad, Thief 'N Zard and Static. Tickets.  

Mid-Winter Edition Waikato Christmas Market | Saturday and Sunday 9:00am at Claudelands. Wander through market stallholders, who offer an array of seasonal delights and handcrafted treasures. Enjoy live music, delicious festive food and drinks, and free entertainment for the kids. Info.

Waikato Food Show 2025 | Saturday and Sunday 9:00am - 3:00pm at Globox Arena. Grab your friends and family for a delicious, fun-filled day out. Explore the wide range of exhibitors serving up the latest products, knowledge and ingredients and take home your favourite show-only specials. Tickets.  

74th Annual Hamilton Cat Show | Sun 6th 10:00am - 3:00pm at Tamahere Community Hall. Come and see over 160 cats all in one place, over 20 different breeds. There will be vendors, coffee and food will be available to purchase as well. Info.  

Operatunity Presents - It’s Raining Men | Mon 7th 11:00am at Hamilton Central Baptist Church. A concert to celebrate male ensembles like Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, Beatles, Everly Brothers, Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, Queen, The Platters...the list goes on! Tickets.  

Theatre: Before We Slip Beneath the Sea | Monday and Tuesday 7:30pm at Te Papanui Enderley Community Centre. An immersive theatrical experience about a community facing climate change brought to you by Red Scare Theatre Company. Tickets.  

School Holiday Programme: Puppet Making | Tue 8th - Thu 10th 9:00am at Waikato Museum. Have your children learn how to make their own unique puppets, inspired by the exhibitions at the Museum. In these hands-on sessions, tamariki will learn how to manipulate puppets, create a story, and design the stage for performances. Tickets.  

Paint Night: Monstera Pot | Tue 8th 7:00pm at Good Neighbour. Paint Pop Art with Paintvine, and create a vivid painting that evokes a printmaking aesthetic. So smooth out those brushes, buy a glass of your favourite tipple, and paint the night away! Tickets.  

Waikato Photographic Society Night | Tue 8th 7:15pm at Melville Methodist Church. Photography enthusiasts are invited to join the photographic society for a monthly judging night. These evenings offer a unique opportunity to see stunning photography, hear expert feedback, and grow your creative skills. Info.  

Illusionist Anthony Street | Wed 9th 7:00pm at Clarence St Theatre. Step into a world of wonder with Illusionist Anthony Street, in a thrilling magic show crafted to captivate audiences of all ages! Tickets.  

Event organiser? Submit your event to Hello Hamilton.

Always double-check event details haven’t changed since you received this email. Did I forget anything? Flick me an email.

📅 Looking ahead…

Kids show: Peppa Pig’s Fun Day out LIVE | 12 July at Claudelands. Tickets.

Expo: Baby Expo | 19 & 20 July at Claudelands. Tickets.

Comedy: Chris Parker | 25 July at Claudelands. Tickets.

Musical: CATS | July and August at Clarence St Theatre. Tickets.

NRLW: Warriors Women v Raiders | 16 August at FMG Stadium. Tickets.

Bill Bailey Live | 23 Nov at Claudelands. Tickets.

Comedy: Jimmy Carr | 27 January, 2026 at Globox Arena. Tickets.  

Jim Beam Homegrown | 14 March, 2025 at Claudelands Oval. Tickets.

👀 What’s happening in Hamilton?

Hamilton’s Cobham Drive set to stay at 60kph along full length. The city council voted 11-2 to keep the 60kph limit on the stretch between Tristram St and Normandy Ave, despite most public submissions asking for it to return to 80kph. Read.

The Waikato River is running high and several river paths in Hamilton have been closed as a result. The water level is intentionally increased to create additional capacity within the Waikato hydroelectric system, in preparation for anticipated heavy rainfall later this week. Read.

Hamilton house values have dropped an average 12% between 2021 and 2024. However, commercial and industrial property saw an increase of 6.3% collectively. Read.

The $80 million Waikato Regional Theatre is the most advanced such building to be constructed in New Zealand for decades. It has a central nervous system - a control room deep in the interior - that’s a hub for the theatre’s peripheral nerves: 30 kilometres of glass fibre optic cables that flow throughout the entire structure. Read.

Improvements to the popular park area at Wellington Street Beach in Hamilton East are due to get underway early next month and will take around four months to complete. The work will include repurposing the existing building to modern toilet standards, adding a new shade structure, as well as barbecue, drinking fountain and seating facilities. There’ll also be fresh planting and landscaping. Read.

A new baby chimp born at Hamilton Zoo is being shown off to keepers and protected by male family members. Primate keeper Breanna Jackson said 40-year-old Sanda - who has two daughters already - is much more confident this time around. Read.

Have you tried Roundnet / Spikeball? I’m hosting a ‘give it a go’ day!

Whether you're a complete beginner or have played before, this free community event is the perfect way to get active, meet new people, and learn a fun, fast-growing sport.

There’ll be some experienced players to teach you the basics, help run games, and get everyone involved. We'll provide all the equipment—just bring yourself, and a mate if you'd like!

⏰ Sat 12th from 1:00pm

📍Gate 2b, University of Waikato

🎟️ Free, but please RSVP via the Facebook event HERE

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Thanks for reading Hello Hamilton today. If you found something useful, please share it with someone who should come along to my roundnet event next weekend! 😉

As always, please direct reply to this email ([email protected]) if you have any suggestions for what you would like to see in future editions of Hello Hamilton.

And a huge thanks to our supporters who help keep Hello Hamilton independent, thriving, and free for all. Consider becoming a supporter here > ❤️

See you next week!

— Ben