Te Kauwhata is a small town in the north of the Waikato region of New Zealand, situated close to the western shore of Lake Waikare, some 40 km north of Hamilton and approximately 58 km south of Manukau City. The township is surrounded by dairy farms, drystock holdings and horticulture. Its newest building is its Waikato District Council library. Originally known as Wairangi, Te Kauwhata grew around a railway station built in the late 1870s.