Coromandel Region

In the early 1820s the first reports of gold in New Zealand were coming from the Coromandel Peninsula, although nothing came of them for decades. In 1852 a reward of £100 was put up for the discovery payable gold near Auckland and later after the reward had been increased to £500, a sawmiller named Charles Ring discovered gold at Driving Creek, near the town of Coromandel. It was a small find and substantial quantities weren’t recovered until the hard work of mining the quartz reefs began in the hills of the Coromandel Peninsula in the early 1860s. The first big strike was near Thames in 1867, but mining the quartz reefs was an intensive operation in both labour and machinery as the ore had to be reached by tunneling, before it could be crushed and the gold separated from the rock. At the peak of the rush in 1868 there were 18,000 people were living in Thames. By this time most of the mines were producing a steady flow of ore, but only 45% of the gold and barely any silver was being recovered. In 1889 cyanide was added to crushed quartz ore by the New Zealand Crown Mines Company at Karangahake near Waihi. Gold and silver dissolve in cyanide, so the process allowed up to 90% of the gold and 50% of the silver in the ore to be extracted. Mining continued successfully until the 1920s, with a small number of mines dominating production. The Martha mine at Waihi, became one of the main producers in the country, its gold–silver alloy electrum being made up of 65% gold and 35% silver along with separate sulfide minerals. It was the gold and timber industries that built many of the towns on the Coromandel Peninsula and south along the coast. Today the history of the region is embedded in the many old buildings, museums and historic towns along this beautiful stretch of coastline.

Whangamata

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The trip starts at Whangamata on SH 25.
The first prospectors started to arrive in the Whangamata area following the gold strikes at Thames and Waihi in the mid 1800's, but it wasn’t until 1873 that the area was officially opened for gold mining, logging and gum digging by the Government did not officially open the area until 1873. Gold mining in the Wentworth, Wharekawa and Parakawai Valleys continued through from the 1890s to the 1920s with hundreds of miners camping in these areas. Whangamata grew and by the mid 1920's a clay road to Waihi had been completed finally eliminating the need to cross the Otahu Estuary at low tide. Today Whangamata is famous for its long stretch of surf beach, with safe swimming areas as well as an excellent surf break out near the bar. Non-surfing visitors can enjoy the unique café culture and interesting shopping centre or pick up the brochure on the art and crafts trail from the information centre. The nearby Wentworth Valley is popular with mountain bike riders and in summer thousands of people flock to the area for the towns legendary New Year celebrations.

Coromandel - Waihi

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Continue 17 km south from on SH 25 to Waihi. Waihi Beach, originally planned as a settlement for convalescent or former gold miners, is now a popular holiday and surf resort, 11 km east of Waihi township.
The discovery of gold at Karangahake and around Waitekauri near Waihi attracted miners from California and New South Wales to the area in the 1860s. The Ohinemuri goldfield was opened in 1875 and in 1878 an extensive lode rich in both gold and silver was discovered at Martha Hill. By 1884 the nearby township of Waihi still consisted of just a bare knoll with a single hotel close to the Paeroa to Katikati road, which at that stage was still defined only by wheel ruts. The township sprung into life however, as production at the Martha mine grew and although the returns from many of the early mines in the area proved disappointing, production continued with most of the gold and silver bullion coming from the Martha lode. The Waihi Grand Junction Mine, was opened in 1890 and in 1899 the cyanide process of ore treatment was introduced at Karangahake and later at Waihi. This was a major technological development which eventually enabled the area to produce over £1 million worth of bullion. Gold production reached its peak in 1909 when up to 1400 tonnes of gold and silver bearing ore were being crushed daily with 1500 people working in the mines and at the Victoria Battery. Today the legacy of the gold era is preserved in Waihi’s classic hotels and in the Waihi Arts Centre and Museum on Kenny Street, which features a number of working exhibits. The Goldfields Steam Train Society operates trains daily on a restored 8 km stretch of line between Waihi and Waikino, the site of the Victoria and Albert Battery which with 20 stampers, was the second largest stamping battery in the world.

Tauranga - Matakana

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From Waihi township drive south on SH 2 for 24.5 km to Katikati. The road passes through the Athenree Gorge and provides views across the coast towards Bowentown and the prominent terraced slopes of Te Kura a Mai, an ancient Maori pa site that overlooks Matakana Island to the south.
Founded in 1875, Katikati was established by George Vesey Stewart who brought out tenant farmers and immigrants with capital from the north of Ireland, in particular County Tyrone. Stewart had originally planned a town at Te Kauri (Kauri Point) for retiring military or civil officers from India and other settlers who did not want to farm. The plan didn’t come to fruition and the present town was eventually laid out in 1879 on the south bank of the Uretara River with a hotel and store. First named Waterford, the name was changed to Katikati because Stewart did not want to pay extra on telegrams from Britain by adding the words ‘New Zealand’ to distinguish it from the original Waterford in Ireland. Business with Waihi gold miners, and later dairy farming, sustained the township which was later to become the centre of an important kiwifruit district. The town itself is well known for its open air art, notably murals painted on over 40 of the buildings throughout Katikati, as well as its Haiku Pathway. Haiku is a Japanese literary form that has been adopted into many other languages. The three line poems are carved on a series of large rocks on a pathway through Katikati. There are numerous citrus orchards in the area and the Morton Estate winery, 8 km south of the town, is open for tours and wine tasting.

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From Katikati head south 18.5 km on SH2 and turn left onto Omokoroa Road and continue 5 km to Omokoroa Beach.
Omokoroa is located on a promontory that extends out into the Tauranga Harbour with a regular ferry service running from its wharf across to Matakana Island. Covered mainly in pine forest, the main attraction on the island is the long 24 km stretch of pristine beach which a popular location for surfing and windsurfing.

Tauranga Historic Village

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Return to SH2 and continue south 12.3 km to Tauranga. Continue Tamatea Arikinui Drive and turn left onto SH2A to reach Mt Maunganui.
The first European traders came to Tauranga in the early 1830s and by 1835 a mission station had been established at Te Papa. The original mission house, the Elms, still stands on Mission Street. This was once the residence of Archdeacon Alfred Brown and has been preserved complete with period furnishings. Brown's missionary work was disrupted when government troops suffered heavy casualties in a clash with Maori at Gate Pa on the outskirts of Tauranga. The battle took place after British and colonial forces landed at Te Papa in 1864. The Tauranga Maori built a strong pa on the Pukehinahina ridge which was shelled heavily by the British before they attacked. The 1600 British were repulsed with heavy losses by the 200 Maori defenders despite their numerical superiority. The Maori then escaped during the night and began building a new pa at Te Ranga, a short distance inland, but were overwhelmed before it was competed. St George's Church (1900) still stands on the Gate Pa battle site, which is now a reserve and you can also visit the two fortified redoubts built by the British. The Monmouth Redoubt in the centre of Tauranga is complete with earthworks and some of its guns still in position on the parapets as well as a small military cemetery. The Tauranga Historic Village on Seventeenth Avenue features a number of original and replica colonial buildings which capture the spirit of a New Zealand town at the turn of the century. You can experience the charm of yesteryear as you stroll these cobblestoned streets through this unique village with its colourful gardens and surrounding bush. The buildings house a selection of arts and handcrafts while the Twilight Markets featuring specialty foods are a popular attraction.

The beach at the Mount

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Continue on SH2A and Takatimu Drive 2.3 km, continue on Marsh Street 0.4 km and cross the harbour on Te Awanui Drive. The bridge across the harbour is part of one of the few toll roads in New Zealand. Continue 2.3 km on Hewletts Road and SH29 then turn left onto Maunganui Road and drive 4.7 km to Mt Maunganui.
With a magnificent surf beach stretching along the eastern side of the peninsula all the way south to Papamoa, Mount Maunganui had attracted its first European settlers in the early 1900s and had formed a surf club by 1914. Today this is a popular holiday resort with a deep water port on the western harbour side of the peninsula overlooked by the 232 m volcanic cone of ‘the Mount’. You can walk to the summit in an hour on a well-graded track that runs from Adams Avenue, while an easier track runs around the base of the volcano. A complex of heated saltwater pools is also located on Adams Avenue.