Roto-o-Rangi
Roto-o-Rangi, or Rotoorangi, is a rural community in the Waipā District of New Zealand’s Waikato region, on the North Island. It lies south of Cambridge and northeast of Te Awamutu. Some northern parts are developing with the Cambridge Expressway, but much of the area remains sparsely populated with a few homes and small businesses, including a furniture shop in a converted dairy-farm barn.
The name means “Lake of Heaven,” referring to a lake that once covered the area. In 1864 a European farmer and three workers drained the lake under a lease with local Māori, an action connected to tensions in the Waikato War. A fort on the main road between Cambridge and Te Awamutu once housed about 60 men. The last known European death in the war was farm worker Tim Sullivan in 1873; his pocket knife is on display at Cambridge Museum.
The Gricelands cream skimming factory opened in 1903, and a school began in 1905. The Roto-o-Rangi Memorial Hall opened in 1938 and has since hosted dances, meetings and many community events.
Roto-o-Rangi spans about 35 square kilometres and had 363 residents in 2023. The wider Rotoorangi area, which includes Rangiaowhia, had about 1,770 people in 2023. Local schools include Roto-o-Rangi School, a state primary for Year 1–6 with about 86 students, and Puahue School nearby for Year 1–6 with about 156 students. Both schools are co-educational. The area has also seen road crashes on Roto-o-Rangi Road in recent years.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:08 (CET).