Labour Day

Wow! We’re really behind on our blog and thought we’d better report on our Labour Day trip before we report on Thanksgiving. In our defense, Labour Day does come later in the year in New Zealand than in the U.S...

We had a three-day weekend so we got together with another senior missionary couple and took a daytrip to the beautiful Coromandel Peninsula. First stop was the Karangahake Gorge area. This was a very important mining area in New Zealand many years ago—site of the original gold rush here. Lots of old ruins still remain. 

Ruins at Crown Mines

Part of the cyanide processing ruins

We walked from the car park across the footbridge; a bit disconcerting to be walking suspended over a railway bridge across a busy highway.

Once safely across the highway we entered the mouth of the railway tunnel, built in 1905 right through the mountain, and in use until 1978. Made of concrete and lined with brick, it was a kilometer (about 2/3 mile) long.  

Bob and Mark heading for the tunnel

Bob, Paula, and Mark at the tunnel entrance. That tiny, white dot at the far end is the "light at the end of the tunnel"--our destination.

Bob and Jan midway through the tunnel

The track was muddy and there was running water down both sides. Although there were lights along the ceiling at intervals, they weren't quite close enough together to see the track at all times.

 

We were glad to leave the oppressive damp and dark of the tunnel and come out into the open air on the other end! It was an easy decision to hike the alternate route back to our car. The trail was a sun-dappled path between the river and the forest. Wildflowers grew beside the trail.

Bob on the bridge to the return trail

View from the river pathway

You can see the river path on the right

Bob checked for fishing holes

Jan just enjoyed the walk

There were sweet blue forget-me-nots growing wild.

Bob found these tiny flowers interesting because pink and white blossoms grew in the same cluster.

The heads of the iconic silverferns were just starting to open. They look like sort-of creepy dead claws but are actually a sign of awakening spring life. The shape of the fern heads is an important symbol in Maori art.

New spring fern heads

Emerging fernheads at top of a tree.

Newly unfolded fern in the forest beside the path

They're called silverfern because of the pale silver color on the back.

We stopped for our picnic lunch in a beautiful spot near these ruins.

Paula amid the ruins

Some of the mining ruins

More of the mining ruins

At the end of the trail we crossed a swinging footbridge to get back to the carpark.

On the way back to the highway we took a side road and short hike to a waterfall. It was so symmetrical Bob said it looked like a feature at Disneyland!

The falls near Karangahake Gorge

From there we drove into Waihi, where there is still an active gold mine. 

 This old building is such an important historical landmark that the entire building was moved when it started to lean over. They replaced the old wooden framework inside with steel beams and moved it on rollers.

Tower in Waihi

This mine produces some of the highest grade ore in the world, but the pit is almost mined out and there is controversy over whether to allow tunnel mining again. The earth beneath the town is honeycombed with miles of tunnels underneath. One collapsed few years ago, taking down a couple of houses, and half-a-dozen cars. Fortunately the people who went into it were able to scramble out alive!

The open pit gold mine

The deepest of the tunnels were more than 600 meters (over 1/3 mile) underground, which in this geothermally active area meant the tunnels were so hot that it was only possible to work 6-hour shifts.

No sooner were we back in the car to head home than the sky clouded over and started to rain, so we’d time our outing just right!