Well it’s been a while since our epic road trip through the USA and for the most part it’s been back to the “business as usual” of every day life. Fortunately we have managed to fit in the odd weekend away re-visiting the beautiful country we live in, New Zealand.
Not too far from home is the Coromandel region which is a popular holiday destination known for world-famous beaches and bays. We stayed a bit further inland though, and spent a few days in the historic gold-mining town of Waihi and the nearby Karangahake Gorge.
Waihi has been a gold mining town ever since gold was first discovered in 1878 and grew around the Martha Mine until it closed in 1952. The mine is once again open and we enjoyed a scenic walk around the rim of the mine.
New Zealand bush
Looking into the Martha Mine
One of the ore trucks they use in the mine
The Cornish Pumphouse, built in 1904
Later we visited Karangahake Gorge just a few kilometres down the road. The road is narrow and twisty but very beautiful. The area is famous for, you guessed it, gold mining. There are some stunning walks you can enjoy in the area through and around the old mining ruins.
Waterfall
The road through the gorge
A swing bridge across the river
Nathan having fun on another bridge across the river
Walking along the old railway they used to cart ore along
You can walk through some of the old mining tunnels that have "windows" where they used to tip ore out into the river below.
The view from one of the windows
Another window
We had lunch in the cute Talisman cafe, named after a nearby battery.
Driving through the gorge
The historic Waikino station
The Victoria Battery and cyanide tanks
We certainly had a great time rediscovering some of the stunning spots in our local area, and hopefully it won’t be too long before we have our next adventure.
munrotravels 
We do have such a beautiful country.
Great pics