High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Waikato (also Waikato Region) is a Region of New Zealand. With coasts on the western and north-eastern sides of the North Island, it stretches from Lake Taupo and northern King Country in the south, north to the Coromandel Peninsula. It is bounded by Auckland on the north, Bay of Plenty on the east, Hawke's Bay on the south-east, and Manawatu-Wanganui and Taranaki on the south. Waikato Region is the 4th-largest region in the country in terms of both area and population: it has an area of 25,000 km² and a population of 406,600 (June 2009 estimate). The Region encompasses all or part of twelve separate territorial authorities, the most by any region of New Zealand. In descending order of land area the territorial authorities are Taupo District (part), Waitomo District (part), Waikato District, Thames-Coromandel District, Otorohanga District, South Waikato District, Matamata-Piako District, Waipa District, Franklin District (part), HaurakiDistrict, Rotorua District (part), and Hamilton City. In 2010 Franklin District is scheduled to be dissolved and its part within Waikato Region transferred to Waikato District.