Te Rapa is a mixed light industrial, large-scale retail and semi-rural suburb to the northwest of central Hamilton, New Zealand that is built on a flat area that was previously the bed of an ancient river, the forerunner to the present Waikato River.

Te Rapa has freight and locomotive depots on the North Island Main Trunk railway.

[7] The median age at the 2013 census is high at 74.5 and income low, largely because 267 live in meshblock 0908100, where Metlifecare's Forest Lake Gardens Retirement Complex has been built since 2001 and the median age is 79 and income $23,300.

[9] Prior to being handed back to the Tainui tribe by the government as part of the Raupatu land settlement in 1995, Te Rapa was the site of a Royal New Zealand Air Force base.

With the addition of the Te Awa building in 2010, The Base became New Zealand's largest shopping mall, and still is, as of December 2011.

It started to dry powder in 1967[11] and was officially opened on 20 April 1968 by New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company,[12] which became part of Fonterra in 2001.

Rides offered at Waterworld include The Python Hydroslide, the Twister Slide and The Screamer Speedslides.

The suggestion led to an adopted proposal in 1964 to mark the city's centennial and in 1973 the decision was made to instead build the complex in Te Rapa.

Te Rapa railway station opened when the North Island Main Trunk was extended from Ngāruawāhia to Hamilton on 19 December 1877.

[25]£720 was spent to open Te Rapa Racecourse passenger platform,[26] near the south-west end of the course,[27] on 15 October 1924.

[32] Associated with that work, footbridge No 62A was built in 1929 (it was removed about 1963) and 10 ch (200 m) long landings were formed at rail level on both lines, with access to the back of the racecourse.

[28] Aerial photos show that the site of the station,[33] and an area to the north, was later used for the marshalling yard[34] and then the locomotive and freight depot.

[35] On 1 April 2003 a container terminal opened, with overhead lines, for shunting by electric locomotives.

[26] Fonterra's Crawford St depot is linked by rail to local dairy factories at Te Awamutu, Morrinsville, Waitoa, Hautapu, Waharoa, Lichfield and Tīrau.

[36] It sends about 33,000 containers of milk powder and cheese a year for export via the Port of Tauranga.