Day 4: Waihi - Gold Mining Town

I heard on the radio it was going to be 1 degree overnight. I always keep the little oil heater provided going, but it isn't really up to much. So to help things along I wore lots of clothes, three pairs of socks and a hoodie over my head as well as clutching the hot water bottle!  My nose was still a bit cold, but otherwise it was fine in "The Egg".

The good thing about frosty mornings is they turn into fantastic sunny days with clear blue skies. I started off with another dip in the thermal pool and then with the bike loaded up I set off to my first stop.

Howath Memorial Wetlands - Te Aroha

This is a really nice hidden gem in Te Aroha and a nice start to the day. It is a bit like Henley Lake in Masterton.

Bike over the bridge

Into the trees

Beside the wetlands

Bike out to the birdwatching hide

Very pretty view

 

Waihi - Pit Rim Walkway

Time to drive to Waihi township. I didn't know there was an open gold mine in Waihi but now I know quite a bit about it. I biked around the Pit Rim Walkway and read about the history of goldmining in the area. The open pit is the Martha Mine, and was first in operation in the 1880's as an underground mine. It consisted of a maze of tunnels 650m below ground all hand cut. One of the most alarming things I read was that they had pit horses that lived down there for pulling the hand carts, and they only came up at Easter and Christmas time.  

There are lots of bronze statues around the town which are all to do with gold mining. I also went to the exhibition about the history of mining at the information centre.

Gold miner

Pioneer Woman

The Martha Mine was closed in 1952, but with new technology it was reopened as an open mine in 1987. It is due to close in a couple of years and the area is going to be made into an artificial lake and recreational reserve.

Start of the Pit Rim Walk - which I biked

The old Pump House for the mine

Looking into the pit - 80% silver and 20% gold is mined here

Black Hill Reserve - Waihi

This is a hidden Mountain Biking gem in Waihi. I thought it was just a walking track but it has dedicated MTB trails as well. So I did the trail around Black Hill on tracks called "Black Gold" and "Riverdance".

Black Hill

Biking around "Riverdance"

Gilmore Reserve - Waihi

Not far from Black Hill I discovered another nice reserve to bike around.

Out onto the jetty with a view of the fountain

Along the boardwalks

 

Owharoa Falls - Karangahake

I know I only have until 6:30pm to do the trails before it gets dark. Time to head back. But I decide to stop off at Owharoa Falls in the Karangahake Gorge as it is on the way and only a 5 minute walk from the car park.

Owharoa Falls is definitely worth a look!

Two looks even

Day 5 will be packing up day. The weather forecast doesn't sound too promising, but I will be able to do more indoorsy-type things in Rotorua if it's too wet.

Time for one last dip in the thermal pool before hitting the road again.