Frankton / Te Rapa Neighborhood

The Frankton and Te Rapa are the two neighouring suburbs on the west side of Hamilton central city. Both suburbs have strong history and are home for some of the biggest industrial hub in the New Zealand. Frankton is the site of the city’s passenger railway station, a major industrial-commercial stretch of State Highway 1, and a commercial shopping area. Frankton Borough Council was formed in 1913, but merged with Hamilton in 1917, after a poll in 1916.

Frankton Junction, pictured here in the 1930s, was in its heyday one of the busiest railway stations in the North Island. It was a major stop on the North Island main trunk line between Auckland and Wellington, and the starting point for branch lines to destinations such as Te Aroha, Thames, Waihī and Rotorua. This made Hamilton an important transport hub and contributed to its growth.

Te Rapa, on the other hand is a mixed light industrial, large-scale retail and semi-rural suburb to the northwest of central Hamilton, New Zealand that is built on a flat area that was previously the bed of an ancient river, the forerunner to the present Waikato River.