"Cambridge is a majestic tree lined town with a population of approx 16,000, it is a picture of idyllic beauty and vibrant colour, it also boasts a star studded array of sports stars who have gained world acclaim in events such as rowing, cycling and Horse Riding.

It is highly likely on your visit to Cambridge you will bump into the likes of Olympic gold medal winners Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell (They won another gold medal at the recently concluded Beijing Olympics) , Mark Todd or our darling of NZ cycling, Sarah Ulmer.

When the Evers-Swindell twins are not rowing they are busy promoting Lake Karapiro as a viable contender to host the 2010 World Rowing Champions.

Historic Cambridge has an array of choice for the visitor, whether you fancy wandering the streets browsing the numerous Antique shops, art galleries or craft stores to walking the heritage trail where you can view a potpourri of architectural styles and impressive buildings, some dating back to the turn of the century.

The equine industry brings a great deal of fame to this town, with many overseas buyers recognizing the quality of our throughbreds with the pasture being some of the richest in the world.

If it is thrill seeking adventure you are after then try jet boating, jet skiing, trout fishing or kayaking on the mighty Waikato River."

Source www.cambridge.co.nz

I would like to thanks those TravBuddies who give me warmed welcome to the site, this is such an awesome place and wish that i should've learned about it earlier, anyway as a way of contributing and returning something to the community here is my first travel blog about Cambridge that I hope some may find useful.  Please pardon me as I don't really have any talent about writting at all :)

Cambridge is a beautiful town about two hours drive from Auckland airport or about 15 minutes from Hamilton (the main city of Waikato Region and fourth largest on New Zealand after Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington the capital of New Zealand) airport, Cambridge has a population of more or less 15,000 and is already considered a large town in New Zealand standard.

We lived in Cambridge for about 3 months before we relocate here in Tauranga city (an hour drive away), this town never failed to amazed me with it's colourful trees... New Zealand has four seasons thus gave Cambridge four different personalities depending on season, Cambrige is very beautiful during spring time as you will witness it's majectic trees blooming and boasting their grandeur colours.

Antique shops, Restuarant and coffee shops are about in every corner of the town centre. You will never ran out of things to do given the small size of Cambrige you'll find it surprising to learn about some of the things that you can do in and around the town, you can play golf, do horseback riding, kayaking, rowing, hiking or...

Just a short strawl away from the city center of Cambridge you will find the beautiful Riverside Park where the departure point is. On the Waikato River, a.k.a. the Mighty River, you will experience a jet boat ride unique in New Zealand. The scenery is breathtaking while your experienced driver will tell you all about the historical facts of the monuments you pass.

Remember that Hamilton city is only about 15 minutes away, Matamata the home of the hobbiton (in Lord of the Rings) is only about 30 minutes away, The volcanic geysers of Rotorua in less than an hour and the lovely city by the bay Tauranga (Bay of Plenty) in 45 minutes.

We had an early start this morning -- up at 7am, and down to Hector's again for breakfast.  We had our same waitress, Maria, a very friendly and funny woman from Germany.  She kept us laughing through most of our breakfast -- and seemed to get particular joy out of teasing my Dad.  Mom and I had a couple of "flat white" coffees with our breakfast.  I got my parents to try Marmite on their toast.   Marmite is a bit like vegemite, but seems to have a stronger taste.  They did not think the taste was that appealing.  Definitely an acquired taste!

We hit the road for Rotorua around 9am.  We took NZ 1 due south to Hamilton and skirted around it when we got to the belt way.  We stopped in Cambridge, a really charming town just south of Hamilton on the Waikato River.  It really does look like a charming English village, as it's name suggests.  It has a lot of farms that raise racing horses.  It's very green with tall beautiful trees.  We stopped at the Cambridge Country Store for a quick lunch and some shopping. This store is a great find for local arts and crafts -- and I did find a few things that I just had to have.  I bought a beautiful platter that was made by a local artist -- it has a New Zealand "Cabbage Tree" on it and is quite colorful.  The store has lots of hand carved items made from native woods by local artists.  It's really a great place to look for things like that.  We also went across the street to an art gallery that shows Carol Hughes' work.  Carol is a Cambridge artist that does really beautiful paintings.  A friend of mine in Austin represents her in Texas and several of my friends have some of her work.  It was fun to check out her new pieces, but I did not buy any.

Lunch at the Cambridge Country Store is a real treat, as everything is home made from scratch.  I had some phylo dough pastries filled with pumpking and feta cheese and a bacon lettuce and tomato sandwich.  It was really good with fresh squeezed lemonade.