New Zealand on a Very Tight Budget Day 28
Another excellent day - in fact Lester and I can't remember ever on any of our adventures having three consecutive days as good and varied as these have been.
Today was all about Gold Mining.
We headed out reasonably early and went to the far end of The Karangahake Gorge Heritage Walkway.
It is incredible to think that this wonderful river valley with the crystal clear racing waters was once an industrial hub of extraordinary activity, all the verdant slopes were stripped of vegetation and the air and water heavy with poisons and fumes. While it was all quiet we did the Windows Loop which involved a lot of tunnels, bridges, rails, sheer drops and dark passages. The windows were in the elevated railway tunnel overlooking this side gorge.
From there we looped back to the start and headed down the old railway beside the river several kilometres past a nice litte waterfall in an old quarry, to the stunning Victoria Battery where the ore was processed and the gold and silver literally battered out of it.
In places it felt like we had stumbled upon the last vestiges of a lost civilisation reclaimed by the jungle. Some of the structures were so big and imposing. If this was the case then the High Temple was the cyanide vats, an impressive arrangement of rusting cones set in a concrete frame and the burial chambers were the monumental kilns where the ore was roasted before crushing requiring an unimaginable 5 acres of trees to be felled every other day (yes that is correct - 5 acres every other day). Thank heavens this process was soon made redundant by another. These huge vats were filled with rubbish and grassed over until they were recently excavated. It just seems incredible that the Victoria Battery remained in use until just before I was born!
We continued onwards to the Waikino Station where we had tea and cake and much to our delight a train came in on the heritage line from Waihi. We retraced our steps for the most part but took the tunnel loop at the end over the river (but under the road) and through a tunnel over 1 kilometre long emerging just beyond the starting point over the river and the road.. A good 5 hour outing.
Before returning to the campsite we called in to Waihi, the site of the mighty Martha's Mine. Closed in the 60s it re-opened in the 80s with much gold being extracted with new techniques before it was closed again in 2007. Work has started collapsing the sides prior to filling it with water but there seems to be some rumblings about mining starting up elsewhere nearby. The magnificent Cornish engine house had to be moved in tact on teflon pads and steel rails 300 metres from its original location when its shaft started to collapse. The mine is situated right at the top of the High Street.
Back to the camp site for a refreshing swim, but the evenings are getting colder and the nights are definitely drawing in!
