Te Awamutu
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Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato on the North Island of New Zealand. It is a service town for the farming communities which surround it. It has a population of about 9,500.
Te Awamutu is located some 30 km south of Hamilton on State Highway 3, one of the two main routes south from Auckland and Hamilton. The town has a large dairy factory, and is widely known for its rose displays.
The town is on gently undulating land close to the banks of a tributary of the Waipa River. The Waikato Plains lie to the north and east, and the promontary of Mount Pirongia, 20 kilometres to the west, is easily visible.
Te Awamutu was a major site during the Maori wars of the 19th century, serving as a garrison town for the colonial settlers.
The town's best known sons are the Finn brothers, Tim and Neil, whose musical careers have stretched from Split Enz through the internationally successful Crowded House to their current solo and collaborative works. The town is mentioned in Split Enz's song Haul Away, and also in Crowded House's 1986 song Mean To Me, the debut single off their self-titled album.
Te Awamutu Museum contains one of the most famous early Maori artefacts, a large carved post known simply as Te Uenuku. This impressive carving has caused much controversy because its style is markedly different from any other early Maori work, yet it is clearly of a Maori design.
The main thoroughfare is Alexandra Street, so named because it was once the main road to the town of Alexandra (since renamed to Pirongia to avoid confusion with the town of Alexandra in the South Island).
Other towns surrounding Te Awamutu include Cambridge, 25 kilometres to the northeast, Otorohanga, 30 kilometres to the southwest, and Raglan 50 kilometres to the northwest. The small town of Kihikihi lies just to the south of Te Awamutu.