Situated 8km east of Hamilton with an altitude of 45m (145ft), Newstead was opened up as a militia settlement in the late 1860's after the campaigns of the N.Z. wars.
The land was of a poor quality. The drier areas covered in tea tree and the swamp in flax.

The Marsh Meadows property was bought from Capt. Runciman by the Scott brothers, John and James, in 1898. Sheep and cattle were farmed on the property.
In the 1920's Tuck and Watkins set up a sawmill near where Mr and Mrs Ron Scott's house is now. Trees were felled back in the plantation and hauled to a steam powered winch by a bullock team. At the weekends the bullocks would be set free to graze on the roadside. On Monday morning they would have to be located and rounded up, sometimes from as far away as Woodside Road at Matangi.

The Newstead Post Office was situated by the road on the north-east side of the railway line. The original building was replaced when a new Post Office was opened in 1918. Mail was collected from the railway station for distribution.

Before the hall was built any gatherings were held at the school or in residences.

The property was originally owned by Mr and Mrs Delaney, Mr Delaney having been a sergeant in the militia. They sold the property to Mr and Mrs Ryan in about 1914. Mr and Mrs F. J. Osborne bought the farm in 1918. The Hamilton City Council purchased it in 1956.
The Hamilton Park Cemetery was opened in 1958 and in 1965 the Crematorium was dedicated by the Bishop of Waikato, the Rt Rev. J. 'l'. Holland.

TEDDING HAY
Tedding hay on the property that is now Hamilton Park Cemetery, 1930's.