Mining township Waihi is located in the Coromandel district, which was one of the great gold mining districts of the world. The township grew around the mining operations since the discovery of gold in 1878 by prospectors John McCombie and Robert Lee. The samples of rock they had sent to be assayed were not considered worthwhile, so they left the area. Their claim was taken over by William Nicholl in 1879. He marked out , calling his claim 'Martha' after a family member. Waihi was also a major centre of union unrest in New Zealand during the early years of the 20th century. The
1912 miners' strike led to violence, including the death of unionist
Fred Evans in an incident which still causes some resentment in the town. , Waihi By 1952, when the mighty Martha Mine closed, around 5.6 million ounces (174,160 kg) of gold and 38.4 million ounces (1,193,180 kg) of silver had been produced from 11,932,000 tonnes of ore. Mining stopped in 1952 after a total of 160 km of tunnels had been driven into the quartz of Martha Hill, not because the Martha had run out of gold, but rather because of fixed gold prices, lack of manpower, and increasing costs. Mining in the
Coromandel Peninsula had otherwise ceased by the 1980s. However, mining later resumed, with some protests against it during the 1987 consent process. Plans to stop operations in the 2000s were eventually shelved as well, and the mines new owner
OceanaGold is investing in extending the further economic life of the mine and the underground operations. As of 2009, the mine constituted 25–30% of the local economy. The Golden Cross mine was a gold and silver mine in the neighbouring Waitekauri Valley. It first operated as an underground gold mine from 1895 to 1920. Gold and silver was mined by underground and open pit methods from 1991 to 1998.
Railways In November 1905, a
branch line railway was opened to Waihi from
Paeroa; this eventually evolved into the
East Coast Main Trunk Railway, which reached
Taneatua in 1928. By the 1960s, traffic volumes for the port of
Tauranga had outgrown the capacity of the circuitous line through Waihi and a deviation to the south was built, including the
Kaimai Tunnel. It opened in 1978, making the line through Waihi redundant, but the
Goldfields Railway was established to save the six kilometres of railway between Waihi and
Waikino. The railway continues to operate today as
Goldfields Railway and is a popular tourist attraction.
Counterculture era festival in 1979.|261x261px In the 1970s Waihi saw a large influx of
hippies in search of
environmentally friendly alternative lifestyles settle there and around the
Waikino area. These young
counterculture proponents brought with them numerous
cottage industries which helped supplement Waihi's economy. The
Nambassa rock and alternative festivals were held around Waihi and
Waikino between 1975 and 1982, increasing the population by around 10,000–75,000 for a few days each year and bringing revenue to the town. Temporary tent cities were established on the Northern end of Waihi on farms up Landlyst Rd at Golden Valley, to accommodate festival goers.
Recent history In the late 1980s a new open pit started operations over the top of the old underground mine. This operation is nearing its completion, however recent plans to cutback the pit wall and recent underground mining have postponed the promised lake and recreational area. A new underground mine called Favona is in operation near the processing plant to the east of Waihi. The mining company have stated that it is impossible to create the lake while underground operations are occurring near the site because the low-level water table connects with the underground mine which has to be de-watered. In the late 1990s several properties had to be condemned and roads such as Brickfield Road, Pipe Lane, Junction Road and parts of Bulltown Road, Hobson Street, Grey Street, Slevin Street, Newman Street, Barry Road, and main road Seddon Avenue permanently closed after the land under them subsided as a result of the collapse of old underground mine workings, with visible holes and cracks on the surface. In December 2001, a home adjacent to Martha Pit collapsed into historical workings, 14 neighbouring homes were affected, some never able to return to get personal belongings. Another 31 homes were also bought once more areas were identified to be at high, medium or low risk of collapse into historical workings adjacent to the pit. Today the mine's
smoko room sits near this site. Noise, dust, blasting vibrations continue to cause stress for some residents as operations in the pit continue. The iconic Pumphouse has been moved to ensure its safety which also allows for the mine pit to be widened and more gold retrieved from the site the pumphouse was originally housed. Mine management has received positive responses for its rigorous environmental effects control procedures and its commitment to the local community in terms of consultation and financial assistance. This has, amongst other things, led to the mine management company, Newmont Waihi Gold, receiving the 'Advanced Sustainable Business Award' from
Environment Waikato, the Regional Council of the area. Despite all these attempts some of the mine's neighbours do not qualify for compensation for the mine's impact. Mining remains the major employer in the area thanks to the company postponing the long promised mine closure and lake formation in 2007. OceanaGold will stay until 2017 when consents expire, unless they find more resources when they will apply to stay. Until the electrical appliance industry was
deregulated in New Zealand in the 1980s, Waihi had a
television assembly plant operated first by Akrad then by
Philips which employed 400 locally and 1500 nationwide.
Marae Waihi has one marae, Waihi Community Marae. • Waihi Marae, with Tapeka meeting house, is near Tokaanu, and not affiliated nor even close, being down by Turangi, near Taupo..and is Tuwharetoa. Waihi Town is part of
Pare Hauraki area. == Current mining ==