District

Karapiro is located in Waipa District, not far from Cambridge and Te Awamutu. The area is known for its large number of dairy farms and horse studs. The Karapiro dam is the last in the chain of hydro power stations on the Waikato River and is 188km downstream from Lake Taupo. Lake Karapiro is probably best known as a world-class rowing venue and the location for many

Work began on Karapiro, the Waikato hydro system's second dam, in 1940. A shortage of labour and materials during the war meant progress was slow, the dam taking seven years to build instead of the scheduled three. The 700 construction workers on the scheme at the height of the project were housed on-site in what is now called Karapiro village.

 HOW KARAPIRO GOT ITS NAME

'Kara' means stone, 'piro' means evil-smelling. According to legend, Karapiro was the stronghold of the chief O-Te-Ihingarangi, and was where the Ngati Haua and their Tauranga allies made a defensive pact during the land wars of 1864.