Hamiltonians enjoy the title of Most Beautiful

Having been judged the most beautiful in the country, Hamilton’s newly discovered status as New Zealand’s most beautiful large city has managed to get some noses turned up.

While Hamiltonians have been quick to embrace the title bestowed at this week’s Beautiful Awards, reaction from out-of-town experts has been somewhat less favorable.

On the social media platform Twitter, that bastion of reported comment, some users were unable to hide their disbelief after the award ceremony on Thursday.

“Hamilton is the joint winner of the most beautiful city in New Zealand. Cue ‘wtfs,’ ”Aucklander Fraser Worthington tweeted from the city of traffic jams and shoebox apartments overlooking … other apartments.

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Hamilton was named the most beautiful big city and the most beautiful small town in Whanganui.

“Whanganui and Hamilton. 2020 really has no rules, ”Kim Gribble posted as the results of the virtual awards ceremony were announced.

The slew of social media continued as Twitter user Ronnie Robinson offered his condolences to the cities that fell in the wake of Hamilton.

“Really? Is it April 1? Robinson tweeted to his horde of 31 followers.

“Poor bastards living in other cities must be living in squalor if #Hamilton can be the most beautiful city in New Zealand.”

On TVNZ’s Breakfast show, hosts John Campbell and Jenny-May Clarkson took a different perspective, praising Hamilton’s natural beauty and relatively fluid traffic.

“Hamilton always confused my understanding because it has this beautiful river, which is absolutely unique and runs through the heart of the city, and they kind of turned their back on it,” Campbell said.

“But in recent years, they have been opening a lot of this, and particularly along Victoria Street. Now really wonderful things are happening. “

As part of the judging process, Keep New Zealand Beautiful judges Heather Saunderson and Rachel Grunwell took a guided tour of the city. His trip included Victoria on the River, a downtown park with panoramic views of the Waikato River.

On Breakfast, Jenny-May Clarkson told viewers that she moved to Hamilton when she was 17 and lived there for about 15 years before moving north to Auckland.

He remembered his love for the city, its people and its uncongested streets.

During a recent trip back to Hamilton, Clarkson was told that the city’s traffic is becoming like Auckland’s.

“I was like hmm no, no, not at all. However, living in Hamilton, where you could get anywhere in the space of 10-15 minutes … obviously now, a lot more people are moving to Hamilton. “

Hamilton is considered one of the fastest growing cities in the country. Its current population of 172,000 is projected to increase to about 200,000 by 2030.

Grunwell previously lived in Hamilton while studying at the University of Waikato in the mid-1990s. During his tour of the city in September, he was amazed at how much the city had changed in recent decades.

She particularly liked Victoria on the River, including her sculpture Te Tatau ki Kirikiriroa (The Door to Hamilton).

“I loved The Doorway to Hamilton sculpture. You get to that point and you look out over the river and it’s a surprising and memorable place. “

Grunwell and Saunderson were also taken to FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton Zoo, Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park, and a new $ 10 million materials recovery facility.

Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate said Hamilton’s victory would not come as a surprise to residents.

“We have a stunning city, I hear it a lot when I receive visitors and the locals already know that is the case,” he said.

Cambridge’s Victoria Street was named Best Street while Waitomo’s Ruakuri Nature Walk took home the Kiwi’s Choice award. The circular track is managed by the Department of Conservation.