Waihi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Waihi is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. It has a population of 4,524.
The town is at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula, close to the western end of the Bay of Plenty. The nearby resort town of Waihi Beach, ten kilometres to the east, is often regarded as the westernmost point of the Bay of Plenty region. To the west are the hills of the Kaimai Ranges. Road access from this direction is through the winding Karangahake Gorge road. Waihi's climate is unusually wet and damp.
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. 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 and is a popular tourist attraction.
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 pegged out five acres, named the claim 'Martha' after a family member, and later a few small claims merged to form the Martha Company. By 1882 the first battery was in operation. The Martha Mine became one of the most important gold and silver mines in the world. By 1952, when the mighty Martha Mine closed, around 5.6 million ounces (174,160kg) of gold and 38.4 million ounces (1,193,180kg) of silver had been produced from 11,932,000 tonnes of ore.
Mining did not end in 1952, not because the Martha had run out of gold, rather, fixed gold prices, lack of man power and increasing costs.
In the late 1980s a new openpit started operations over the top of the old underground mine. This operation is due to close in 2006/2007. However the need to "cut back" the pit wall has occurred postponing lake rehab while other exploration for resource continues adjacent to the existing pit. A new underground mine is being developed adjacent to the town. Many feel it will be impossible to create the long promised lake while underground operations are occurring near the site. There is also plenty of gold remaining in and around the Martha Mine site but consents currently limit the extraction of it.
Mining remains the major employer in the area. 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.
Waihi was a major centre of union unrest in New Zealand during the early years of the 20th century. The 1912 miners' strike led to violence in an incident which still causes some resentment in the town.
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 bought with them numerous cottage industries which helped supplement Waihis' 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.
In recent times, the town has suffered from the effects of the mining in other ways. In the late 1990s several properties had to be condemned and roads 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. Today the mine's smoko room sits near this site, apparently safe, as operations continue to move further into the residential community of Waihi. Noise, dust, blasting vibrations, ground settlement, damage to property, property devaluations and stress are also some of the side effects still being felt today as operations to stabilise the pit continue. The iconic Pumphouse has just been moved to ensure its safety but also clearing a very valuable area of resource. Another effect that is beginning to strain the area is the massive tailings dam housing not only Martha tailings but also Favona's tons.
[edit] External links
