Ohinemuri River

The Ohinemuri River is located in the north of New Zealand's North Island.

The river source is north-east of the town of Waihi, close to the shore of the Bay of Plenty, but flows west rather than into the bay. It runs through the steep-sided Karangahake Gorge, forming a break between the Coromandel Range and the Kaimai Ranges. After 28 kilometres, it joins the Waihou River near the town of Paeroa, 20 kilometres south of the Firth of Thames, into which the Waihou empties.

Tributaries

• Mataora Stream, running through the Golden Valley from a source only 1.5 km from the Bay of Plenty coastline
• Mangatoetoe Stream. This stream bisects the town of Waihi
• Waitete Stream. Has its Source in the Coromandel Range near Waihi. Forms a natural boundary on the North Western side of Waihi. Joins the Ohinemuri immediately after Black Pool Dam.
• Waimata Stream, with its source in the Kaimai Ranges, near the Athenree Gorge
• Waitekauri River, with its source deep in the Coromandel ranges, near the Komata goldfields
• Taieri Stream, with its source west of the Pukewera hill, and the beautiful Owharoa Falls, near the confluence with the Ohinemuri
• Waitawheta River, with its source deep in the Kaimai Ranges, south-east of Mount Te Aroha

Public access

• From Paeroa, the river can be viewed from or near the Criterion Bridge, at the south end of town.
• State Highway 2 follows the path of the river most of the way between Paeroa and Waihi
• The Karangahake Gorge Walkway and the Goldfields Railway both follow respective parts of the river

Gold mines

• At Karangahake Gorge the remains of the Crown and Talisman gold mines are visible from the walkway.
• At Waikino the Victoria Battery site has been opened as a public reserve. A railway line followed the river's south bank eastward to Waihi until 1952.

Old towns

Several old mining towns are located along the river, including:

• Mackaytown is still extant, although a shadow of its former self.
• Karangahake is still extant and is at the western end of the Karangahake Gorge Walkway, and the northern end of Mt Karangahake Walkway.
• Owharoa is a ghost town 2km west of Waikino.
• Waikino is still extant and is at the eastern end of the Karangahake Gorge Walkway and the Western end of the Goldfields Railway.

See also

• List of rivers of New Zealand

References

"Place Name Detail: Ohinemuri River". New Zealand Geographic Placenames Database. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 07/09/09.  Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

Coordinates: 37°23′S 175°39′E / 37.383°S 175.650°E / -37.383; 175.650