We took off for the day, with Lin, to Coromandel Town to do the train ride we didn't have time to do before. Lin's heart was in her mouth as Steve drove her car around the VERY twisty roads, but we arrived in one piece with car unscathed.
We were headed for the Driving Creek Railway and Potteries, the country's only narrow-guage railway and the brainchild of Barry Brickell, one of New Zealand's most well-known potters. He took 27 years to build the track, mostly by hand, only completing it in 2003. His original intention was to help him access the clay-bearing hills nearby for his pottery, but he was already a rail-enthusiast and, being a bit of an eccentric, the railway became a labour of love.
Lookout near Coramandel Town
Lin and Sue about to start their intrepid journey. (The hats are for the sun, not Ascot.)
The track is only 381mm wide and climbs 120m over a distance of about 3kms.
Along the way there are some spectacular views. The native bush through which the train runs was originally covered in kauri trees, which were almost completely eliminated by the late 19th century settlers, but Barry Bricknell and the DOC (New Zealand equivalent of National Trust) have re-planted 20,000 kauris here so far, returning the bush to its former beauty. Barry Bricknell takes no money from the train fares but gives it all the DOC to fund conservation.
All along the route there are quirky sculptures.
At the end of the line there's a specially constructed wooden lodge called the Eyefull Tower (geddit?).
There are panoramic views from the top, as well as an exhibition of work by local artists.
There are numerous 'stations' along the way, with dates of their construction.
A great way to recycle beer bottles. Better get drinking!!
Sculpture garden at the end of the ride.
What could be more relaxed and relaxing than 'nowhere in particular'?
An example of doing things 'the Kiwi Way'.
The Kiwis love their aphorisms, and you see mottoes and bon mots written-up everywhere.
Doesn't quite seem what you expect the Dalai Lama to say, though.
And, of course, a coffee house! The Rough Guide calls this one 'a laidback and welcoming hideaway'. Very New Age, perfect for Grey Packers like us. Dreadlocked waiter gently bopping to the music, and perhaps a certain 'whiff' in the air??
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WAIHI GOLD MINE
Gold was first discovered in Waihi in a reef of quartz in 1878, but it was not until 1894 that a boom began with the first successful trials in extracting gold using cyanide solution. By 1908 Waihi was the fastest-growing town in the Auckland Province.
Underground mining stopped in 1952 but extraction began again in 1987 in the opencast Martha Mine. This was due to close in 2006, but it is still operating amid emotional and fervent arguments between the conservationists and Greens, who want all mining to stop, and commercial interests who argue that environmentally-sensitive mining is essential for the country's future economic well-being.
The old Pumphouse, based on a Cornish design.
The open-cast Martha Mine.
There is a really interesting museum in the local i-Site.
A time-line of gold mining in Waihi.
A miner's boot.
A panoramic view of the town from the mine.
Street-view, similar to Thames and Coromandel Town. Very Wild West!!
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