Hamilton is New Zealands largest inland city, situated 136km south of Auckland, with a local population of around 159,000 . Most local industy is connected in some way with the strong dairy farming influence in the Waikato. However, a large sector of the population are either students or staff members of our two large tertiary education institutions. The NZ National Agricultural Fieldays and Balloon Festival are the two most popular events held in Hamilton each year.