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Hamilton's Rocket Coffee Roasters has been listed in the top 100 coffee shops around the world, ranking at 62nd on the list.

The Hamilton coffee shop is the only one in New Zealand to make the prestigious list.

The store has been around for 30 years and has been a key player in New Zealand's coffee culture through its crafted beverages, friendly atmosphere and strong community ties.

The list is complied by a panel of coffee experts, enthusiasts and industry leaders who rank a variety of factors including dedication to experience, bean sourcing and roasting.

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Wooden Spoon, 169 London St, Hamilton

It was a seven-year-old coeliac’s dream to open a cafe where she could eat everything.

Less than two decades later, Hannah Alley opened a 100% gluten-free cafe - Wooden Spoon, in Hamilton. Possibly the first of it’s kind in the Tron.

And since opening in November 2023, it has attracted coeliacs from across the country.

Why? Because it is a pretty big deal getting a full gluten-free menu, says Alley.

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A partnership between FMG Stadium Waikato and the One New Zealand Warriors has opened the way for the club to play three stand-alone NRLW matches in Hamilton this season.

The deal follows another landmark rugby league+ occasion at the stadium on Saturday when a crowd 23,344 – a record for a Warriors trial match – attended the club’s final Preseason Challenge clash against the Melbourne Storm.

In their return to the competition after a five-year absence the Warriors will make FMG Stadium Waikato their base for the last three of their five regular season home games.

The first is their round seven fixture against the Canberra Raiders on Saturday, August 16 followed a week later by their eighth-round contest against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks on Sunday, August 24, and the round 10 encounter with the powerful Brisbane Broncos on Sunday, September 7.

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Come and enjoy art, culture, sport or a ‘weird’ mix of all three! Here are some Love the Centre highlight events.

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‍Circus in the Centre

‍Garden Place, until April 5, noon-2.30pm

Turn your summer afternoons into a circus extravaganza! Garden Place green space transforms into a lively circus zone where kids and whānau can explore juggling, hula hooping, spinning plates, and more. All equipment is provided, so just bring your enthusiasm and get ready for some free, family-friendly fun.

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Live Music

Garden Place, until March 28, 12.30-1.30pm

Enjoy an electrifying mix of DJs, singers, and saxophonists bringing vibrant tunes to the heart of the city.

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Stories in the Garden

Garden Place, until March 29, 10am-11am

Join us under the trees for a magical hour of storytelling and games with characters from Enchanted Entertainment. Dress up in the story theme and spend a delightful hour under the trees taking your mind to a faraway land.

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Chinese Lantern Festival

Garden Place, February 22, 6pm-9pm

Experience the magic of the Chinese Lantern Festival in the Year of the Snake with a Dragon & Lion Dance, a mesmerising magic show, live cultural performances, and delicious food stalls. The festivities start at 6pm but come early to enjoy the food from 4pm.

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Children’s Day

Garden Place and beyond, March 1-2, 10am-3pm

Let’s come together to celebrate our children and whānau. This event is packed with activities and fun for the whole family with entertainment across the central city public spaces.

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Festival of Weird

Garden Place, March 5-12 10am-5pm

Embrace the wacky and weird at the Festival of Weird. This week-long celebration is more cringe than fringe, with a lineup of bizarre and entertaining activities that will leave you laughing and amazed.

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Boon Street Art Festival

Central City, March 13-16

Watch the city come alive with stunning murals and cultural events during the Boon Street Art Festival. Enjoy four days of art, culture, and community with an incredible artist lineup and an interactive community mural.

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Love the Centre Walk Thru Balloon

Garden Place, March 15, 1pm-4pm & March 20, 4pm-7pm

Experience the thrill of walking inside a real hot air balloon. For a koha, you can enjoy this unique adventure along with fun, music, and entertainment to kick off the Balloons Over Waikato event week.

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In person lunchtime circus sessions.

Take a break from your screen, get a dose of fresh air, and discover just how fun (and good for you) circus skills can be. No need to book — just turn up and give it a go!

To kick 2025 off to a good start while the sun is still shining, Creative Waikato will be offering in person lunchtime circus sessions in Garden Place. These will be facilitated by professional circus performers and are a great opportunity to re-explore something that perhaps you haven’t done since you were a kid!

Designed for busy professionals and CBD workers, these sessions are a chance to get moving, refresh your mind, and try something new. No prior experience required, just a willingness to give it a go!

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Every Tuesday 12-1pm starting 18 February until 25 March

Garen Place

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A 30 minute lesson (hula hoops or juggling) followed by free practice time. We’ll rotate skills each week but will always have props available, so you can choose your challenge!

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Wear: Comfortable clothing

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Inside the Waikato Regional Theatre

The Waikato’s new regional theatre is about to become a theatre of mystery - or, to describe it a little more eloquently, a masterpiece mystery theatre.

The Waikato Times was this week granted a tour of the building’s interior - a guided visit that provides more than a few hints of the sheer magnitude of splendour the Waikato Regional Theatre - due to open later this year - will provide the people of Kirikiriroa.

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Resonate Health, New Zealand’s newest and most transparent hearing healthcare company, redefining healthy ageing with a holistic approach that goes far beyond traditional hearing aids.  Visit Angitha Nair/Aimee Kipara at the Resonate Health-Hamilton Central studio to learn more about your hearing health and Resonate Unlimited, New Zealand’s only hearing aid subscription service available for $90 per month.

CBD retailers have endured tough economic times but a senior business leader is seeing more optimistic signals, while shop owners have mixed views about 2025.

Concerns include the impact on shopper numbers of having just one hour free parking in the CBD, introduced last year. Customers have reported being resistant to paying for more time.

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Hamilton Central Business Association general manager Vanessa Williams said on Wednesday that she’d been chatting to about half a dozen retailers this year about how things were going over January.

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Jeremy Mayall almost got a proper job once. Fresh out of school, he figured doing law at university would be the way to go.

The application included writing a page about why he wanted to be a lawyer.

As easy as that sounds - hey, just lie if you have to - he couldn’t do it. A fateful decision was made, he changed to a BA, majoring in music, screen studies and theatre.

These days the flamboyantly bearded Mayall is chief executive of Creative Waikato, a musician and composer, and a consummate proponent for the arts.

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Dumplings are one of the most common dishes ordered from a Chinese restaurant on any given day.

They’re not hard to make from scratch, as anyone from northern China will tell you. Growing up, dumpling making was the ultimate family activity - there’s no such thing as “too many cooks in the kitchen”.

With Lunar New Year approaching, why not give this dish a go? Trust me, as someone who is a terrible cook, it’s not as hard as it looks.

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Renting with SB owner Storm Benson started the business out of her university flat and now has a shop in central Hamilton.

When Storm Benson was a struggling student and couldn’t afford a different dress every week despite her desire to look good, the idea for a business was born.

Seven years later, she’s rented clothing to others more than 16,000 times, moved her side hustle from a Hamilton flat to a CBD shop and sends out 80-100 people into the world in a new dress each week.

The 27-year-old came up with the idea while at Waikato University.

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Try riding with Flex for only $2 per ride!

The New Zealand-built buses are smaller and have comfortable seats that are fitted with seatbelts and can carry 13 passengers, or 10 people and a wheelchair user.

Bookings can be made up to a week in advance of travel, or just 15 minutes before you’re ready to go. The buses are GPS tracked in real time, so you can track your ride in the Flex app.

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“For people wanting to get to and from the CBD, we’re really excited to be able to provide an affordable option for people wanting a corner-to-corner service rather than only stopping at bus stops,” said Regional Connections Committee Chair and Waikato regional councillor Angela Strange.

“The service will take people with a mobility impairment driveway-to-driveway – all you have to do is let us know when registering on the Flex app.

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Book now in three easy steps:

Download the FREE Flex app

Set up your rider profile with your preferred payment method

Select your preferred location, time and the best pick up and drop off points for your journey into the city - and return!

Easy! Group bookings are available (up to 13 seats) and Flex vehicles are wheelchair friendly too!

Flex operates every Friday and Saturday from 6pm-4am.

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Prepare for an exciting four days of art, culture, and community.

Boon Street Art Festival to Transform Hamilton with Stunning Murals and Cultural Experiences – March 13th-16th, 2025

Kirikiriroa, Hamilton, prepare for an exciting four days of art, culture, and community as the Boon Street Art Festival returns to Hamilton from March 13th to 16th, 2025. This exciting festival will feature an incredible artist lineup, an interactive community mural, and a variety of events designed to celebrate the city's creative spirit.

The talented artists set to showcase their work include international artist Alison Mooney, Alice Alva (Hamilton), Kophie Su’a Hulsbosch (Christchurch), Flox & Sweats (Auckland), Theo Arraj (Raglan), and Te Marunui Hotene (Whakatane).

One of the festival’s key highlights will be the sale of vibrant, one-of-a-kind murals. For just $3,500, each mural is accompanied by a plaque featuring the artist's name, a brief description of the artwork, and the buyer's logo. This initiative offers an exceptional opportunity to engage with and invest in the local creative world, allowing individuals and businesses to purchase artwork that truly lives on the street, enriching the public space.

We’re looking for passionate, team-oriented individuals who are eager to volunteer their time and energy to making this Street Art Festival come to life. This is a fantastic opportunity to gain experience, meet new people, and have some fun with like-minded individuals. To sign up or learn more, please email Megan at volunteers@boonarts.co.nz

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Come, drink rose, be merry and have fun.

Eurovintage, AIX and Mr. Pickles are throwing a wee rose party.

Dj Nizzaloti playing records for entertainment

$79pp includes a two glasses of AIX rose and two plates of food

There's some special pricing on AIX rose on the day as well as a reduced but tasty menu available from the kitchen through till 5pm

If you want to stay on later, you're more than welcome to.

NO DIETARY REQUIREMENTS WILL BE ACCOMMODATED + PLATES means a walk in fork type offering throughout the party

Should you need to cancel and organise a refund that isn't an issue, just get in touch with the team 72 hours in advance!

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Come, drink rose, be merry and have fun.

Eurovintage, AIX and Mr. Pickles are throwing a wee rose party.

Dj Nizzaloti playing records for entertainment

$79pp includes two glasses of AIX rose and two plates of food

There's some special pricing on AIX rose on the day as well as a reduced but tasty menu available from the kitchen through till 5pm

If you want to stay on later, you're more than welcome to.

NO DIETARY REQUIREMENTS WILL BE ACCOMMODATED + PLATES means a walk in fork type offering throughout the party

Should you need to cancel and organise a refund that isn't an issue, just get in touch with the team 72 hours in advance!

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Let the good times ROLL!! The Big Bike Film Night is riding into the Waikato on its mission - bringing the best cycling short films from around the world together for you. Showcasing our 2025 collection that has everything a cycling-centric audience could want- action, drama, humour, and plenty of inspiration we're going to spin your wheels, crank your dial, and ring your bell!

There’s always an air of mystique about The Big Bike Film Night; we’re not your typical mainstream film festival; we’re left field and damn proud of it.

Treasuring where a bike can take you, our annual curated collection of short bike films is devised and designed to delight the two-wheel devotee in celebrating the fun, the adventure and the inspiration that cycling enables.

We don’t reveal what films go into our collections; just like riding a bike –it’s the journey and not the destination that is important, but here are some insights...

The 2025 treasure chest of films includes:
•    an exhilarating film that redefines what’s possible on a gravel bike on technically challenging terrains
•    a heartwarming documentary that explores the importance of getting outside, no matter where one is on life’s journey
•    an uplifting film that follows a group of local bike and snow enthusiasts from Wānaka, who have the desire to bring positive social change to their local community through an annual “bikepack” to the local Ski Resort with all their gear, a bit of “type 2” fun!
•    an inspiring mountain bike ride through back country Queenstown that is both poetic and meaningful
•    a life-changing experience for a group of friends who undertake a trip to a bothie (hut) in the Highlands of Scotland to show what can be achieved by people with disabilities in relation to having adventures
•    a film that celebrates the art of “winging it” and how travelling by bicycle and the power of exploration can obliterate preconceptions and contribute to understanding others
•    and a classic Kiwi story of a young trailblazer participating in a grueling six-day mountain bike rally, exploring his boundaries with his own signature entirely unsupported style -fueled by a penchant for chocolate milk
ALL in the mix!

These short films are a great reminder of why we love to ride our bike; with stories that captivate us, stories that make us think, and most importantly of all – inspiring us to get out and ride.  All celebrate the fun, adventure, and joy that cycling enables.

So... listen to the voice inside you; it’s telling you to go. Grab your mates, GO ON… grab your bike and come along for the ride!!

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With over a decade of highly successful shows in the North Island, it’s now time for you to join us for a night of good old fashioned tease with a dash of tassels at Tease and Tassels burlesque show.

With performances by award winning New Zealand entertainers and new comers, this is sure to be a night you won’t forget. Our host is the dazzling Natalia Nox who is a well known face in the NZ Burlesque Scene and head mistress of Glamilton Burlesque Academy. This saucy night crawler was born in a puff of glitter and will lead you on a wild night of tantalizing fun!

In true Rock n Roll Circus style, along with some fun audience games, there will be prizes for Best Dressed on the night. Whip out your glad rags and come dressed in your finest.

We have a variety of ticketing options on offer.

Doors open 7.30pm, show starts at 8.30pm

R18 event

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Individuals and groups are invited to take part by creating chalk art in the central city. It’s all happening on Saturday 01 March from 10-2.With plenty of prizes up for grabs it’s easy to join in the fun. Free to enter, all the chalk is provided so just turn up with some creative ideas! It's Hamilton Children's Day so there'll be LOTS more happening right across Garden Place, so bring the family.

Embark on an exciting journey to explore the hidden and not-so-hidden gems of Hamilton Kirikiriroa, the undisputed mural capital of Aotearoa. Starting February 1st, join us every fortnight for the next 3 months to discover the city’s most iconic street art.

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With over 60+ stunning murals adorning the streets and hidden alleyways, you'll be captivated by the vibrant expressions of art that surround you.
Slow down and let yourself become fully immersed in the artistry that our city has to offer. Venture off the beaten path and discover hidden gems that will leave you in awe. We promise you'll rediscover the beauty of our urban landscape and see it with fresh eyes.

These free 1-hour tours start at Hamilton Central Library and finish at Victoria on the River.

Upcoming Tour Dates:

Saturday 1st February. 2pm - 3pm

Saturday 15th February. 2pm - 3pm

Saturday 1st March. 2pm - 3pm

Saturday 15th March. 2pm - 3pm

Saturday 29th March. 2pm - 3pm

Saturday 12th April. 2pm - 3pm

Saturday 26th April. 2pm - 3pm

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Caregivers can bond with their children while enhancing their social, cognitive, motor and musical skills.

Storytime Puaawai takes place during term time only:

Tuesdays, 10.30-11.15am, Central Library

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Celebrate the Chinese New Year showcasing the harmony of nature and culture between China and New Zealand.

See Chinese New Year traditions brought to life through calligraphy, dances, games and displays.

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Join us for a fun night of laughter and connection through board gaming. Recommended age 23 - 49 years old.

Speed dating meets board gaming. Tired of swiping right but still haven't found the right person?? Come join us for a night of speed dating with a twist. You will be seated in a group of 4 to play some quick and easy board games, after 15-20 minutes, you will be switched and move around. There will be a time to mix with a bigger group too.

You can discover different Japanese flavors with us in this course night.

Invite your friends and family and book via their social media page DM

***They cannot acommodate any allergy or dietary in this course menu.

They cannot accept any cancelation on the day ***

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Find out what events are on in February

Mark your calendars for Saturday 15 February, as the One New Zealand Warriors take on the Melbourne Storm in their final 2025 NRL Pre-Season Challenge match at @FMGStadiumWaikato

This is your golden opportunity to see the One New Zealand Warriors in action one last time before they head to Las Vegas!

Be there to cheer on the One New Zealand Warriors and witness rugby league at its finest!

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Featuring ten characters, three actors, and a band, TICK, TICK… BOOM! takes you on the playwright/composer’s journey that led to the Broadway blockbuster, RENT.

Its 1990 and Jon is on the brink of turning 30. His girlfriend wants to get married and move out of the city, his best friend is making big bucks on Madison Avenue, yet Jon is still waiting on tables and trying to write the great American musical.

An endearing, and thoughtful piece that embraces the universal ideal of holding onto your dreams through life’s most difficult challenges.

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For a limited time only, we're offering EARLY BIRD tickets for $30! Come for an evening of humorous songs and relatable characters!

2-5 April 7:30pm- 9pm (6pm and 8:30pm on April 5)

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DIRECTOR: Courteney Mayall

MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Nick Braae

CHOREOGRAPHER: Alexis Holmes