Where is Hillcrest in Hamilton?

Hillcrest is an eastern Hamilton suburb around 5 km southeast of the central city. It borders Silverdale, Riverlea and the University of Waikato campus, with Cambridge Road as the main spine.

Where is The Warehouse Hillcrest?

The Warehouse Hillcrest is on Cambridge Road in central Hillcrest, the suburb's most-searched destination by some distance. One of the busiest Warehouse stores in the country, with Warehouse Stationery and New World on the same block.

Is the University of Waikato in Hillcrest?

The University of Waikato's main Hamilton campus borders Hillcrest's eastern edge, on Knighton Road. Around 13,000 students attend, with a heavy concentration of student flats in the surrounding streets including Hillcrest.

What is Hillcrest High School?

Hillcrest High School on Mansell Avenue is a state co-educational secondary school for years 9 to 13, with around 1,400 students. It draws from the wider eastern Hamilton catchment.

How do I get from central Hamilton to Hillcrest?

By car, around 10 minutes via Cambridge Road or via Hillcrest Road. Bus services run regularly from the Hamilton Transport Centre to Hillcrest via the University of Waikato route.

Which schools are in zone for Hillcrest?

Children living in Hillcrest are in zone for Hillcrest High School, Berkley Normal Middle School, Hillcrest Normal School, Peachgrove Intermediate, Silverdale Normal School, Marian Catholic School (Hamilton). Living in a school's home zone gives a guaranteed right to enrol.

How do I check my school zone in Hillcrest?

Use the School Zone Checker on this page — enter your address to check your school zone and see which schools you have a guaranteed right to enrol at.

Hillcrest, Waikato | Schools, Lifestyle & Local Guide

Living in Hillcrest

Hillcrest is one of the larger eastern Hamilton suburbs, around 5 km southeast of the central city, immediately west of the University of Waikato campus. The proximity to the university is the defining feature: through term time, Hillcrest fills up with students, lecturers and the kind of cyclists who treat every traffic light as optional.

The Hillcrest shopping cluster on Cambridge Road and Clyde Street is anchored by The Warehouse Hillcrest, one of the busiest Warehouse stores in the country judging by the search volume. New World Hillcrest, Warehouse Stationery, the Hillcrest Medical Centre and the standard run of takeaways round out the local retail. The kind of practical, slightly battered shopping strip that university suburbs reliably produce.

Hillcrest High School is the state co-ed secondary on Mansell Avenue, year 9 to 13, drawing from the wider eastern Hamilton catchment. Hillcrest Normal School handles the primary catchment. Most homes split between 1960s and 1970s family housing on the residential streets and the inevitable student flats closer to the university.

The University of Waikato campus borders the suburb's eastern edge. Hillcrest has a busy, lived-in character year-round, with the genuine intensity of a university suburb in term time.

Is Hillcrest a good place to live?

Hillcrest is home to roughly 6,198 people. On Suburb's overall livability scale, Hillcrest scores 59 out of 100, with a safety score of 51/100 and 15% green space.

Schools: Hillcrest has 26 schools in or near the suburb, spanning early-childhood through to secondary education. See the Schools tab below for the full list.

Housing: The estimated median value is around $775K, and weekly rent typically sits around $505.

Lifestyle: Hillcrest has cafés, shops and things to do nearby. The current temperature is 10.5°C. See the Weather tab for monthly averages.

Whether Hillcrest is right for you depends on what you’re looking for. Use the data and community tips below to decide if it suits your lifestyle, family and budget.

Map

Livability Breakdown

Safety51
Amenities100
Schools73
Housing Affordability48
Green space51
Community33
Transport20

Property & Economics

Est. Median Value: $775K
Median Weekly Rent: $505/wk
Median HH Income: $96K/yr
Pop. Growth (5yr): +4.3%
Data Year: 2023

Key Financial Indicators (NZD)

† Est. Median Value is suburb.co.nz's own estimate, modelled from available public data. We aim for accuracy, but where data is limited, estimates may be imprecise.

Nearby Suburbs

Browse all suburbs in Hamilton City →

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Hillcrest in Hamilton?: Hillcrest is an eastern Hamilton suburb around 5 km southeast of the central city. It borders Silverdale, Riverlea and the University of Waikato campus, with Cambridge Road as the main spine.
Where is The Warehouse Hillcrest?: The Warehouse Hillcrest is on Cambridge Road in central Hillcrest, the suburb's most-searched destination by some distance. One of the busiest Warehouse stores in the country, with Warehouse Stationery and New World on the same block.
Is the University of Waikato in Hillcrest?: The University of Waikato's main Hamilton campus borders Hillcrest's eastern edge, on Knighton Road. Around 13,000 students attend, with a heavy concentration of student flats in the surrounding streets including Hillcrest.
What is Hillcrest High School?: Hillcrest High School on Mansell Avenue is a state co-educational secondary school for years 9 to 13, with around 1,400 students. It draws from the wider eastern Hamilton catchment.
How do I get from central Hamilton to Hillcrest?: By car, around 10 minutes via Cambridge Road or via Hillcrest Road. Bus services run regularly from the Hamilton Transport Centre to Hillcrest via the University of Waikato route.

Schools & Enrolment Zones in Hillcrest

Schools in zone for Hillcrest

Children living in Hillcrest have a guaranteed right to enrol at these schools, based on Ministry of Education home zones.

Hillcrest High School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 1848 · decile 7
Berkley Normal Middle School
Restricted Composite (Year 7-10) · roll 775 · decile 8
Hillcrest Normal School
Contributing · roll 609 · decile 8
Peachgrove Intermediate
Intermediate · roll 511 · decile 5
Silverdale Normal School
Contributing · roll 366 · decile 4
Marian Catholic School (Hamilton)
Full Primary · roll 613 · decile 7

Check your school zone

School Zone Checker

Enter your address to check your school zone in Hillcrest. School enrolment zones (home zones) decide which schools your child has a guaranteed right to enrol at.

Address matching is approximate and based on OpenStreetMap geocoding — confirm an exact result near a zone boundary directly with the school.

Other nearby schools

Schools close to Hillcrest that you may be able to enrol at under open enrolment or by application (outside your home zone).

TKKM o Toku Mapihi Maurea
Full Primary · roll 96 · decile 5 · 1.2 km away
St John's College (Hillcrest)
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 969 · decile 7 · 1.3 km away
Hamilton Seventh-Day Adventist School
Full Primary · roll 120 · decile 6 · 1.3 km away
Knighton Normal School
Contributing · roll 649 · decile 5 · 1.8 km away
Patricia Avenue School
Specialist School · roll 211 · decile 4 · 2.8 km away
Sacred Heart Girls' College (Ham)
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 938 · decile 8 · 3.1 km away
Hamilton Boys' High School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 2302 · decile 7 · 3.3 km away
Tai Wananga
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 175 · decile 4 · 3.3 km away
Waikato Montessori Education Centre
Full Primary · roll 56 · 3.3 km away
Hamilton East School
Contributing · roll 502 · decile 4 · 3.6 km away
Newstead Model School
Contributing · roll 147 · decile 10 · 3.6 km away
Tamahere Model Country School
Contributing · roll 363 · decile 10 · 3.8 km away
Glenview School (Hamilton)
Contributing · roll 407 · decile 4 · 3.9 km away
St Pius X Catholic School (Melville)
Full Primary · roll 267 · decile 3 · 3.9 km away
Southwell School
Full Primary · roll 646 · decile 10 · 3.9 km away
Hamilton West School
Full Primary · roll 686 · decile 5 · 4.0 km away
Te Wharekura o Kirikiriroa
Composite · roll 313 · decile 2 · 4.2 km away
Melville Primary School
Contributing · roll 253 · decile 2 · 4.4 km away
Mangakōtukutuku College
Secondary (Year 7-15) · roll 782 · decile 4 · 4.6 km away
Hamilton Girls' High School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 1828 · decile 6 · 4.7 km away

Explore Hillcrest

Things to do(16)

Johnny Danger Lager

Hamilton Irani Mathra Dancing Academy

Boundless Basketball

Dance Studio

UniRec

Hamilton Star University of Waikato Cricket Club

Waikato Kendo Association

Sport - University of Waikato

Hamilton Old Boys CC

Candace Mayall Dance

Edinburgh Reserve

Hillcrest Park

St John's College Kendo Club

Aikido Shinryukan Hamilton

Jansen Park

Waikato Thai Kickboxing

Parks & green spaces(3)

Edinburgh Reserve

Hillcrest Park

Jansen Park

Healthcare(4)

Campus Pharmacy

Hillcrest Healthcare Pharmacy

Hillcrest Medical Centre

Month	High (°C)	Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm/day)	Sunshine (hrs/day)
☀️ Jan	23.58	15.59	7.25	10.05
☀️ Feb	23.24	14.42	4.61	10.34
🍂 Mar	20.59	11.34	2.49	9.9
🍂 Apr	19.45	11.57	3.14	8.44
🍂 May	16.43	8.75	4.56	7.46
❄️ Jun	15.1	7.4	3.32	7.16
❄️ Jul	13.9	6.04	3.1	6.88
❄️ Aug	14.16	5.1	2.53	8.08
🌸 Sep	16.34	8.14	3.86	9.17
🌸 Oct	17.84	9.43	3.24	10.24
🌸 Nov	19.61	11.31	3.91	10.41
☀️ Dec	22.67	14.06	4.61	10.63

Living in Hillcrest

Is Hillcrest a good place to live?

Map

Livability Breakdown

Property & Economics

Key Financial Indicators (NZD)

Nearby Suburbs

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools & Enrolment Zones in Hillcrest

Schools in zone for Hillcrest

Hillcrest High School

Berkley Normal Middle School

Hillcrest Normal School

Peachgrove Intermediate

Silverdale Normal School

Marian Catholic School (Hamilton)

Check your school zone

School Zone Checker

Other nearby schools

TKKM o Toku Mapihi Maurea

St John's College (Hillcrest)

Hamilton Seventh-Day Adventist School

Knighton Normal School

Patricia Avenue School

Sacred Heart Girls' College (Ham)

Hamilton Boys' High School

Tai Wananga

Waikato Montessori Education Centre

Hamilton East School

Newstead Model School

Tamahere Model Country School

Glenview School (Hamilton)

St Pius X Catholic School (Melville)

Southwell School

Hamilton West School

Te Wharekura o Kirikiriroa

Melville Primary School

Mangakōtukutuku College

Hamilton Girls' High School

Explore Hillcrest

🎯Things to do(16)

Johnny Danger Lager

Hamilton Irani Mathra Dancing Academy

Boundless Basketball

Dance Studio

UniRec

Hamilton Star University of Waikato Cricket Club

Waikato Kendo Association

Sport - University of Waikato

Hamilton Old Boys CC

Candace Mayall Dance

Edinburgh Reserve

Hillcrest Park

St John's College Kendo Club

Aikido Shinryukan Hamilton

Jansen Park

Waikato Thai Kickboxing

🌳Parks & green spaces(3)

Edinburgh Reserve

Hillcrest Park

Jansen Park

🏥Healthcare(4)

Campus Pharmacy

Hillcrest Healthcare Pharmacy

Hillcrest Medical Centre

Student Health

Eat & Drink in Hillcrest

🍽️Places to eat & drink(41)

Bongo Cafe

Kahurangi Cafe

Jacks Coffee Lounge

Hillcrest Haven Bar & Eatery

Just Food

Hillcrest Bakery & Cafe

St Pierre's Sushi

Robert Harris

The Don

McDonald's

Kisso Sushi Hamilton

Secret Passage Way

Things to do(16)

Parks & green spaces(3)

Healthcare(4)

Places to eat & drink(41)

Tradies & services(8)

Shops(11)

Beauty & fitness(23)