Port Waikato is on the south bank of the Waikato River at its outflow into the Tasman Sea, in northern New Zealand. Now a small town with a population of under 300 (the town straddles three meshblocks which had populations of 51, 228 and 162 in 2013, though the District Council says the population was 1006) it was an important port during the New Zealand Land Wars of the 19th century. It was the first of the colonial settlements to be constructed after the wars, being started in 1863. It had until then been called Putataka, but soon the present name was in general use. The Māori name remains for the 354 m (1,161 ft) hill above the town.