Thames Heritage

THAMES GOLD MINING, TIMBER INDUSTRY AND MORE

Maori settled in the area as early as the 15th century. Gold was discovered in 1867 and from that period the town was developed. Milling of kauri forests was a large industry at the turn of the century. Fishing was also very important. When the gold mining and kauri logging industries began to decline other ways of gaining income were initiated with the draining of the Hauraki Plains for farming in the 1930s.

Thames township, or "The Thames" as it was often referred to is located on the southern shores of the Hauraki Gulf. European traders and missionaries began to settle in the area 130 years ago. Marutuahu survivors of the early 1800s inter tribal warfare, returned to live peacefully in the area also.

"Ngati Maru chief Hoterene Taipari expressed the Maori attitude when he said in a speech at Parawai that the Marutuahu were tired of war; they wanted all tribes and all races to live in peace together, as one family. If the pakeha met with opposition when seeking timber or mining rights it was only over details: the over-ruling Maori spirit was one of co-operation"(1).

The first major discovery of gold was made on August 10, 1867 by a prospector, William Hunt, in a waterfall in the bed of the Kuranui Stream. This mine produced over 102,353oz bullion and was known as the Shotover.

The era from 1868 to 1871 were the bonanza years for the town with gold production topping one million pounds sterling at its peak. Official figures for production of the Thames Mines recorded a yield of 2,327,619oz bullion with the value at $845 million.

The richest bonanza of the fields were the Manukau-Golden Crown-Caledonian mines but many others yielded near equivalent amounts Towards the end of the last century Thames was the largest centre of population in New Zealand with 18,000 inhabitants and well over 100 hotels and three theatres. The population today stands at approximately 7,000 and now has only four hotels in the town centre.

The Thames School of Mines is a historic property managed by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. It comprises the former Thames School of Mines complex, in existence between 1886 and 1953. Its Mineralogical Museum is a museum of a gold-mining town. It has country rock, elements in host rocks, fossils for dating before radiocarbon dating and metallurgical samples. The authenticity of the complex is intact. The Thames school was one of over 30 schools opened up in the mining districts during the late 1880s-1890s. Reefton and Thames are the only two surviving examples in New Zealand now.

For more information on the Gold mining History of the area see http://www.goldmine-experience.co.nz

'Kauaeranga' is the original name for the Thames area. The Kauaeranga River was once named 'Waiwhakauaeranga', meaning 'waters of the stacked-up jaw bones'. Ngati Maru historians claim the name originated after a battle, where members of Ngati Maru stacked up the jaw bones of their defeated enemies in rows on the banks of the river.

Early settlers to northern New Zealand quickly found kauri timber to be a valuable resource. Its thick, straight trunk results in knot free timber. In addition, kauri timber is durable, easily worked and has an attractive colour and grain. Kauri timber was used during the 1800s to early 1900s for buildings, construction, bridges, wharves, roofing, railway wagons, street paving, furniture and paneling.

From the 1870s to the 1920s, the Kauaeranga Valley was logged extensively for kauri. Within the Kauaeranga River valley and its tributaries, contractors worked long hours to fell literally thousands of kauri using axes, saws and timber jacks.

The more accessible stands of kauri were logged first, with bullock teams and horses transporting logs from the bush to mills. As these areas were depleted, logging began on the much steeper gullies and hillsides, posing new challenges in getting logs to the mills.

By 1928, all but the most inaccessible kauri within the Kauaeranga Valley had been logged. The tramline was pulled up and the dams, bush camps and other relics slowly fell into ruin as the native forest began to 'recover'.

In 1970 the remaining native forests of the Kauaeranga Valley were protected as part of the Coromandel Forest Park.

For more info see http://www.doc.govt.nz

THAMES GOLDMINE AND STAMPER BATTERY TOURS
Open through Summer (contact Thames i-SITE for specific dates)
Groups bookings discounts available.
Northern End of Pollen Street

THAMES HISTORICAL MUSEUM
Cnr Cochrane & Pollen Streets
Open from 1.00pm – 4.00pm daily

THAMES SCHOOL OF MINES AND MINERALOGICAL MUSEUM
Corner of Brown & Cochrane Streets
January open daily 11am – 4pm,  Feb-Dec open Weds-Sun 11am – 3pm, CLOSED Xmas Day & Good Friday

WAR MEMORIAL MONUMENT AND LOOKOUT
Waiotahi Creek Road

GOLDFIELDS PROMOTIONS
A series of books available at the Thames Information Centre.

HISTORIC GRAHAMSTOWN
Self guided tour of historic buildings & sites in the old-time suburb of Grahamstown.

WILLIAM HALL RESERVE
The oldest Arboretum in NZ with a large range of native & introduced plant & tree species.
Brunton Crescent, Thames

HISTORICAL SHORTLAND & TARARU
Self guided tour of historic buildings & sites in the oldest most southern and northern suburbs of Thames.

THE TREASURY
Home to The Coromandel Heritage Trust and Thames Genealogy Group, in Carnegie Building, Queen Street, Thames. Open Thursday to Saturdays 11.00am-3.00pm

BELLA STREET PUMPHOUSE MUSEUM
Cnr Cochrane & Bella Streets
Open from 10am – 3pm weekends only