Anti-tour demonstrators invaded Hamilton’s Rugby Park, forcing the abandonment of the Springboks–Waikato match.
Hamilton
Events In History
25 August 1948
Three people were killed, 80 injured and about 150 buildings destroyed or badly damaged by New Zealand’s deadliest recorded tornado. The damage was estimated at more than £1 million (equivalent to $77 million in 2020).
24 March 1894
‘One of the most courageous feats ever performed in Waikato’ almost ended in tragedy when Leila Adair’s hot-air balloon burst several hundred feet above Hamilton East.
Articles
Regional rugby
The passion and parochialism of provincial rugby helped give the game a special place in New Zealand’s social and sporting history. Read brief histories, highlights and quirky facts about each of New Zealand's 26 regional rugby teams. Read the full article
Page 8 - Waikato rugby
History and highlights of rugby in the Waikato
Hamilton was established in 1864 by the 4th Waikato militia as an administrative and commercial centre, and a refuge for outlying settlers in case of renewed war against nearby Kingitanga forces. Hamilton remained a small provincial centre until the draining of the surrounding Waikato swamps, after which point it grew as a service centre for the region’s developing dairy farms.
Meaning of place name
Named by Colonel William Moule in 1864, after Captain John Fane Hamilton, commander of HMS Esk, one of the naval squadron in New Zealand during the conflict in the Waikato. Captain Hamilton was killed at Gate Pa in the same year.
