Te Kuiti - North Island, New Zealand

Te Kuiti is a sheep farming town 19 kms to the south of Waitomo. It is not an attraction in itself but for the fact that it is located close to Waitomo.

Te Kuiti Activities

Te Kuiti is known as the Shearing Capital of the World as David Fagan, the five-time winner of the World Shearing Championship hails from here.

Te Kuiti hosts the annual New Zealand Shearing and Wool Handling Championships. There is a seven metre high statue of a man shearing a sheep at the southern end of the town.

Te Kuiti has a proud Maori heritage. Opposite to the south end of Rora St is a magnificently carved meeting house. This was carved by Te Kooti who showed his appreciation to King Tawhiao for being sheltered by the king and eventually pardoned.

Te Kuiti has a visitor centre on Rora St beside the train station. All buses stop here. There is a regular shuttle service to Waitomo from here. The DOC office here has details of the Pureora Forest Park. Te Kuiti has a bank, a petrol station and a supermarket.

Te Kuiti Accommodation

There are a few accommodation choices in Te Kuiti. There is a backpackers to the northeast. There is a motel with units and a riverside camping ground.

There are a couple of eating options. One is at the corner of Rora and Lawrence streets with snacks, takeaways and meals. There is a trendier restaurant a couple of kilometres further north which is promoted by the New Zealand plantation forest industry.

There is a restaurant bar in a lodge in town that makes good pizzas.

LooknbookNZ can take care of your Te Kuiti accommodation and Te Kuit activities to allow you and your family/friends to have a great stay and enjoy the delights of the Waitomo Caves and surrounding Pureroa Forest Walks.