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Top 10 Places to Hunt Pokémon in Hamilton

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of a certain massively successful mobile game called Pokémon Go. Perhaps it made you wish you were living under a rock, but not me. I’m one of those people who purchased a smart phone just to play it, having never owned one before. I’m a child of the ’90s, you see. I played the Game Boy games, collected the cards, and watched the series whenever my parents didn’t turn it off.

Is it a good game? I wouldn’t go that far, but since starting it I’ve been walking approximately fifty kilometres a week. Okay, so maybe I would go that far – I’ve lost three kilos! My epic quest to catch ’em all has led me places I’ve never been before; down streets I’d never otherwise explore. I’ve lived in Hamilton nearly two years and feel I know it better now, all thanks to Pokémon.

So… where are the best spots to catch Pokémon in Hamilton? Here are the top ten places I’ve found:

1) Hamilton Gardens

Of course Hamilton’s best (and practically only) tourist attraction is teeming with Pokémon. The gardens are a joy to walk around anyway – I’ve said so many times before – and now there’s an added bonus.

Check out the Hamilton Gardens

2) Hamilton Lake

While perhaps not devastatingly beautiful, Hamilton Lake is a fantastic place to go for walk. The path is perfect the whole way round, and it has a rather impressive playground. Of course, it’s a preferred hangout of water Pokémon.


Check out Hamilton Lake

3) Memorial Park

Memorial Park can be almost as beautiful as the gardens. It – and its immediate neighbour, Parana Park – is absolutely full of Pokémon. I bet it’s never seen so many people in it at once, except during the ANZAC Day dawn service! Parking on the adjacent street has become a nightmare, and someone’s even had the foresight to set up a coffee cart. Some nights, there are hundreds of players wandering back and forth, eyes glued to their phones. It’s a beautiful thing. Rather satisfyingly, the gym in Memorial Park is a Spitfire.


Check out Memorial Park

4) Along the River

The city of Hamilton is bisected by the Waikato River, and there are paths down both sides that go for miles. This is a great thing for residents of the city – one of the many reasons I love living here – and it’s not bad for Pokémon either. One particularly rich section, I’ve found, lies between the Fairfield and Pukete bridges on the west bank.

5) Garden Place

Garden Place is the city of Hamilton’s main square. The whole city centre’s okay for Pokémon, really, but Garden Place has a high density of PokéStops. You’ll often get lures there at lunchtime.

6) The Waikato Uni campus

I went to the University of Auckland, the students of which have sometimes been known to look down upon the University of Waikato. I was surprised, therefore, to find that the Waikato Uni campus is a lot nicer to walk around than the Auckland Uni campus. There are three lakes and plenty of Pokémon.

7) Victoria Street

This is Hamilton’s main street. Upon it, you’ll find an awesome statue of Riff Raff from Rocky Horror, which is now also a Pokémon gym.

8) The Base

This is a huge shopping centre on the edge of Hamilton. The supply of Pokémon here is never-ending.

9) Five Cross Roads

This is just a collection of shops, mostly takeaways, at a roundabout where five roads meet. No reason to go there, really, but I was surprised at the sheer number of Pokémon.

10) Seddon Park

A cricket ground on the edge of the city centre, a walk around the perimeter of Seddon Park can yield great rewards Pokémon-wise. It’s next-door to the small-but-sweet Boyes Park, which has a rather striking feature fountain.

You might say I’ve got far too much time on my hands, but it doesn’t feel like it! Besides, it’s an interesting way to keep myself fit. Nerds like me need all the encouragement we can get to go outside.

If you’re a fellow Hamiltonian Pokémon trainer, do please share the good spots you’ve found!


Filed under: Hamilton, North Island, People and Culture Tagged: Hamilton, New Zealand, places in Hamilton, Pokemon, Pokemon Go, where to find Pokemon in Hamilton, where to go in Hamilton


This post first appeared on POMS AWAY! | A British Immigrant's View Of New Zealand, please read the originial post: here

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Top 10 Places to Hunt Pokémon in Hamilton

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