Despite dire forecasts of rain, and reports of heavy snowfalls in the South Island, today was sunny and clear, although rather chilly. As I write the current temp is 7°C.
Karangahake Gorge
Our major outing for the day was to Karangahake Gorge, a steep canyon formed by the Ohinemuri River. Karangahake is famous for its beautiful scenery, gold mining and rail history. The gold rush at Karangahake started in 1875 and continued till the 1920s. By the time the mines closed for good more than 4 million ounces of bullion had been extracted from over 1 million tons of ore.
We explored the area on foot, following a couple of walks past abandoned mine buildings, through tunnels, over swing bridges and along stunning sections of river gorge.
We took the Windows Walk which crosses two swing bridges and up some stairs leading to a restored tramway through mine tunnels past a series of openings (windows) which look down on the river gorge below. The last tunnel, which was the longest, was pitch black and required a torch. Although the weather was perfect, there was a lot of standing water on the paths and in the tunnels, but it was fascinating to see the old mining structures and the tramlines and wonder about the hard work of the men who built them. The trail continues across the other side of the gorge, but that section was closed today, so we traversed the tunnels twice to get back to the start.
We resisted the urge to take a break (assisted by the fact that the local cafe is now closed) and embarked on the Rail Trail loop. This track goes downriver past more mining history, helpfully signposted, before crossing the river over a steel truss bridge and entering the rail tunnel, which is now part of the Hauraki Rail Trail. The tunnel is about a kilometre long and has some lighting. I can’t say walking through a kilometre long tunnel in semi-darkness is the most fun I’ve ever had, but it was good to do (and to come out the other end). To reach the tunnel there were sections where the path became quite narrow as it hugged the walls of the gorge, and the warning about falling rocks was a little alarming, but the forest was beautiful, and it was a lovely walk.
Owharoa Falls
A little way up the river are the Owharoa Falls, which were impressive.
Martha Mine
The open cut Martha Mine at Waihi was started in 1978 when gold was discovered on Pukewa (Martha Hill). The original Martha Mine closed in 1952 but as the price of gold increased in the 1970s there has been a renewed interest in exploration and mining continues in the area. The old pit can be viewed from the edge and is seriously big. Photos do not capture the size – both the diameter and the depth.
We walked part way around the rim of the mine, on the way spotting some huge bees, a blackbird enjoying some berries and a statue of the Rangatira. “History tells us that in the early Māori occupation of the Area a Rangatira of Hauraki struck the ground with his talaha [a traditional Māori fighting staff] and water gushed from it. He then named the area ‘Waihihi’ which means ‘gushing water’. “
The Cornish Pumphouse was built in 1905 to house pumping machinery for dewatering the underground mines. That steam-driven machinery was used until 1914, when it was replaced by electric-powered machinery. In 2004 historic underground mine workings threatened the stability of the ground beneath the pumphouse and investigations concluded that the only way to protect the historic building was to relocate it. In 2006 this iconic building, weighing 1,840 tonnes and standing three storeys high, was moved in its entirety to its present site. It slid on Teflon-topped concrete beams that remain at the foot of the building. The building’s original location was 300 m to the east of where it rests today.
Thames Street Art
We returned to Thames, and as the promised rain had not materialised, we explored some of the impressive street art around the town, most of it painted by local nurse Kylie Gunn. (I have included the artist’s name as a caption on each photo, when known).
To see the rest of the New Zealand trip (a work in progress at this stage) click HERE. If you are really keen click the subscribe link below and you will get an email notification every time there’s a new post.
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I love your posts and the accompanying photography is magnificent.