Hamilton, NZ

Two-hat Cuisine Good Food restaurant from chef Mat McLean, in the SkyCity complex on Victoria Street. The city's most ambitious cooking since 2005, with a tasting menu that consistently changes. The Hamilton dinner if you want the best.

Riverbank tapas restaurant on Grantham Street with a glass-walled dining room over the Waikato. Tapas-only menu, designed for sharing, the kind of dinner a group of friends takes over. The reliable group dinner in town.

All-day cafe-restaurant on Grey Street, brunch by day, more grown-up dinner by night. Strong cabinet, craft beer on tap, and the kind of cocktail program a chef-driven room runs. The reliable choice from morning to evening.

Family-run Italian on the south side of town with hand-rolled pasta and the kind of nonna-style cooking that locals come back to weekly. Generous, polished, no-fashion. The reliable Italian dinner.

The Hamilton roaster that put the city on the international coffee map, one of the few New Zealand names on the world's-best coffee-shop lists. Industrial-warehouse cafe with the city's best espresso program. Small kitchen does breakfast plates and cabinet baking.

A long-running Victoria Street brunch room with a serious chef-driven menu and the city's prettiest cabinet. The brunch room locals send out-of-towners to.

A long-running cafe in Maeroa with a hot menu of egg dishes, salads and the kind of large cabinet that needs an empty seat. The locals' destination weekend brunch.

Tiny Vietnamese counter on Hood Street with the city's best banh mi and pho. Owner-cooked, fast, and the under-the-radar lunch.

Riverbank bistro on London Street with a Mediterranean-leaning menu and the calmest dinner view on the river. Polished but unfussy; the grown-up alternative to Gothenburg.

The two-block strip of late-night bars and casual eateries off Victoria Street, with Cock & Bull and Lone Star anchoring the centre. The destination if you want a long evening that turns into a late one.

A long-running Indian on Tristram Street with the deepest North Indian menu in town and a serious tandoor. The locals' Indian destination, with takeaway queues on Friday nights.

Victoria Street institution that has fed Hamilton families for three decades. Pub menu of burgers, ribs and seafood, plus a bar that rolls into the small hours. Reliable, not aspirational.

A small Hood Street roaster-cafe with sharp espresso and a tight cabinet. The coffee snob's destination in central Hamilton.

The flat 13km paved promenade along both banks of the Waikato River through the city, with bridges to switch sides. Pram-friendly, suitable for road bikes. The classic Hamilton daily walk.

The steepest stair-climb walk in the country, 1,300 wooden steps up the Hakarimata Range north of town to a panoramic summit. The local Sunday hill workout; cult status with Hamilton runners.

A network of bush tracks on Mt Pirongia, the dormant volcano 30 minutes west of Hamilton. The Tirohanga track to the summit is 5-7 hours return; shorter loops at the lower carparks. Genuine bush walking.

A flat 3.8km loop around Hamilton Lake (Rotoroa) in central Hamilton, pram-friendly with cafes at the eastern end. The casual after-work walk; quietly excellent on a still evening.

A 90-minute loop through the historic gold-mining gorge 75 minutes east of Hamilton, through old rail tunnels and over swing bridges. Family-friendly, atmospheric, bring a torch.

A short 20-minute return walk to the top and base viewpoints of a 55m basalt-cliff waterfall, 40 minutes west of Hamilton. Family-friendly, signed, free.

The 75km cycle trail along the Waikato River from Ngaruawahia to Karapiro, with Hamilton in the middle. Flat and shaded; great for an e-bike day. Use any section for a half-day trip.

A network of urban-bush walks within Donny Park on the south side of town, with native bush, a small creek and pram-friendly paths. The under-the-radar urban-nature stop.

The intact Lord of the Rings and Hobbit film set on a working sheep farm at Matamata, 45 minutes east of Hamilton. The Shire walk with a Green Dragon Inn pour. Touristy, expensive, and a once-in-a-lifetime film-set visit.

Regional zoo with the country's largest walk-through aviary, 600 animals, and free zookeeper talks throughout the day. Family-friendly half-day.

Two-week summer festival in February at Hamilton Gardens with outdoor concerts, theatre, cinema and food trucks across the themed gardens. The single best fortnight to be in Hamilton.

Free museum on Victoria Street with Waikato Maori taonga, the Te Winika canoe gallery, and rotating contemporary art. Two hours of real content. The rainy-day plan.

Sunday morning market at Claudelands Showgrounds with the best local produce in the central North Island. Coffee carts, baking, hot pies, and a strong cluster of small producers.

Predator-free ecological reserve 50 minutes south with the country's largest mainland fenced sanctuary. Guided walks, including a night-walk to see kiwi. Family-friendly.

25,000-seat Chiefs Super Rugby home, with the loudest crowd in the country on match days. The standard Saturday night out for half of Hamilton in winter.

The Avantidrome on the southern edge of town, a world-class indoor cycling velodrome with public ride sessions and lessons. The casual visitor's chance to do a few laps on an Olympic-grade track.

The city's main events venue, host to touring music, comedy, and exhibitions including the annual Fieldays agricultural show in June. Check the calendar; programmes refresh weekly.

Hour-long motor-cat cruises on the Waikato River, departing from various jetties downtown. Casual sightseeing on the river; useful for the river-from-the-river perspective.

A bronze statue of Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror character Riff Raff at the spot on Victoria Street where O'Brien grew up. Free, two minutes, and a peculiarly Hamilton thing.

Eighteen themed gardens on the eastern bank of the Waikato River, walking you from a 1960s Italian Renaissance courtyard to a Japanese contemplation garden to the traditional Maori Te Parapara. Free admission; the most-visited tourist attraction in the country. The single reason to come to Hamilton.

Free museum on Victoria Street with permanent galleries on the Maori taonga of the region, a working Tudor-era warship cannon, the country's largest exhibition of Polynesian poi, and rotating contemporary art. Two hours of real content.

The flat 13km paved promenade along both banks of the Waikato River through the heart of the city, with multiple bridges to switch sides. The single best free thing to do in Hamilton, used by locals for daily walks, runs and rides.

The film set from Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, on a working sheep farm at Matamata 45 minutes east. The full guided tour walks you through the Shire and ends at a pour at the Green Dragon Inn. Touristy, expensive and one of the country's most-shared experiences.

A predator-free ecological reserve 50 minutes south, with the country's largest mainland fenced sanctuary protecting kaka, takahe, kiwi and other endangered species. Family-friendly, signed walks ranging from 30 minutes to a full day.

The city's regional zoo, with the country's largest walk-through aviary, free zookeeper talks throughout the day, and 600 animals including red pandas and a serval cat. Family-friendly half-day.

A 55m waterfall over a basalt cliff at Te Mata, 40 minutes west, with a 10-minute walk to the top viewpoint and a steeper 20-minute descent to the base. The country's prettiest accessible drop. Free.

The traditional Maori productive garden within the Hamilton Gardens complex, restoring pre-colonial cultivation techniques and ceremonial structures. Free, signed interpretation. The most distinctive section of the gardens for serious visitors.

The 25,000-seat home of the Chiefs Super Rugby franchise, with the loudest crowd in the country when the Chiefs play. Tours by appointment on non-match days; the Saturday match is the experience.

Hamilton's main central street, with the densest cluster of bars, restaurants and shops in the Waikato. Walk it for the orientation, but most of the better dining is one or two blocks off.