Town 29 km south of Hamilton. It was originally the site of two important pā: Ōtāwhao and Kaipaka. The town grew on the site of Ōtāwhao mission station, established by the Church Missionary Society in 1841. During the Waikato war the mission became headquarters for British troops, and three redoubts were built. In 1864, 4,000 troops were based at Te Awamutu. Members of the 2nd Waikato militia settled in the area, but after British troops left and the militia was disbanded in 1867, the town stagnated. It revived only when the railway line arrived in 1880. From the 1880s Te Awamutu developed as a farming centre, with large saleyards. The first cooperative commercial dairy factory in the North Island opened there in November 1882, followed by others.
te awamutu
Meaning of place name
Te: the; awa: river; mutu: cut off or ended. The place was so named because, although the source of the Manga-o-hoi lies several miles beyond Te Awamutu, it was blocked by snags and unsuitable for navigation by canoes.
