Te Kūiti is a town in the north of the King Country region of the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the junction of State Highways 3 and 30 and on the North Island Main Trunk railway, south of Hamilton. The town promotes itself as the sheep shearing capital of the world and is host to the annual New Zealand National Shearing Championships. Te Kūiti is approximately 80 km south of Hamilton and 19 km south-east of Waitomo. The area around Te Kūiti, commonly known as the King Country, gives its name to the Heartland Championship rugby team based in Te Kūiti. History and culture Te Kūiti is the Maori name given to the area. In its original form of "Te Kuititanga", it literally means "the valley", "the squeezing in" or "the narrowing". Several marae are located in and around Te Kūiti, associated with Ngāti Maniapoto hapū: Te Kumi Marae and Te Korapatu meeting house are affiliated with Ngāti Peehi and Rōrā Mōtītī Marae and Ko te Hungaiti or Hapainga meeting house are affiliated with Ngāti Kinohaku, Ngāti Putaitemuri and Ngāti Tauhunu Te Piruru Papakainga Marae and Te Pukenui o Taonui meeting house are affiliated with Ngāti Rōrā Tāne Hopuwai Marae and Tāne Hopuwai meeting house are affiliated with Ngāti Apakura Te Tokanganui a Noho Marae and meeting house are affiliated with Ngāti Rōrā. This wharenui was constructed in 1873 for Te Kooti and his followers, and was one of the largest wharenui ever built at the time. Tomotuki Marae and Parekatini meeting house are affiliated with Apakura, Parekaitini and Ngāti Rōrā Te Waipatoto Marae, and Waipatoto and Waipatoto Tuarua meeting houses, are affiliated with Ngāti Kinohaku Geography Limestone deposits and water have created the Waitomo Caves, northwest of the town, one of New Zealand's most-visited tourist locations. The town itself is located in a valley with many rich limestone deposits. The Manga-o-Kewa Stream runs through the valley and is a tributary of the Waipa River. Te Kūiti's hinterland consist mainly of farmland and limestone quarries. The land surrounding Te Kūiti has steep hilly relief which reflects the nature of the North King Country region. The climate of Te Kūiti is wet during the winter and dry during the late summer with an average of 1,450mm of rainfall each year. Demographics Te Kūiti covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people