The Karangahake Gorge

from Waihi to Paeroa

The Ohinemuri River runs from Waihi, just 2 kms from the Bay of Plenty but strangely flows westward to the Firth of Thames, passing through the Karangahake Gorge on the way. The river valley marks one of the most prolific goldfields in New Zealand.

The Cyanide Process

The first field trials in the world were carried out at the Crown mine to prove the cyanide method of extracting gold from low quality quartz ores. In 1897 the New Zealand Government acquired the patent rights for the process. The small royalty charged for the use of the process meant that the government outlay was fully recovered by 1905. The process was soon employed widely on this and other goldfields throughout New Zealand and overseas. It achieved an extraction rate of up to 90% of the gold contained in the rock, so making economic the processing of low content ores.

Waihi and Waikino

Waihi

Waihi is the home of the Martha Mine, one of the largest goldmines in New Zealand.

Waihi Goldmine	Cornish pumphouse, Waihi	Cornish pumphouse, Waihi	Cornish pumphouse, Waihi
Cornish pumphouse, Waihi	Cornish pumphouse noticeboard	Pumphouse shaft noticeboard	Cornish pumphouse shaft, Waihi
The Martha goldmine, Waihi	The Martha goldmine, Waihi	The Martha goldmine, Waihi	The Martha goldmine, Waihi
The Martha goldmine, Waihi	The Martha goldmine, Waihi	The Martha goldmine, Waihi	The Martha goldmine, Waihi
Replica poppet headgear, Waihi	Replica poppet headgear, Waihi

Waikino

Waikino Goldfields Railway

Baguley-Drewry 3650 of 1968

Baguley-Drewry 3650 of 1968

Victoria Battery

Victoria Battery, Waikato

The Victoria Battery at Waikato stands on the banks of the Ohinemuri River. It was named after Queen Victoria in her 60th jubilee year, the Battery had 200 stampers-the largest number at one time of any similar site in the world crushing on an average of 800 tonnes of ore per day – six days a week. It was the largest quartz ore processing plant in Australasia and one of the biggest industrial sites in New Zealand in the early 1900’s. Then it was the country’s largest producer of gold -10 times more than the next largest battery.

The Waihi Goldmining Company built their Battery at Waikino where ample water was available Ore was transported by rail on the company’s unique two foot nine gauge “Rake” line from the Martha Mine in Waihi six miles (8 kms) eastwards. Drawn by one of the company’s six English-built steam locomotives, 40 skip wagons each loaded with one tonne of quartz ore were hauled to the Battery site. Normally there were 14 trains daily. Up until 1901 the ore was first tipped into large brick-lined ore roasting kilns constructed in the highest point of the Battery site. Alternate layers of 50 tonnes of native timber and ore were stacked into the eight kilns and burnt for a few days, The ore and ash were raked from chutes below into skip ore wagons These wagons were winched through the 200 metre U shaped tunnel and the ore transported on to the crushers, stampers, tube mills and agitation tanks for cyanide treatment, etc. After being through numerous processes the precipitate on zinc filings was returned to the company’s refinery at Waihi for further treatment resulting in valuable gold & silver bars being poured.

After 1901 the kilns became redundant due to the huge consumption of timber (5 hectares every 2 days) and a wet crushing process was introduced.

Plan of the Victoria Battery

Victoria Battery ore kilns

Victoria Battery ore kilns

The Ore Kilns

Victoria Battery ore kilns	Victoria Battery ore kilns	Victoria Battery ore kilns	Victoria Battery ore kilns
Victoria Battery ore kilns	Victoria Battery ore kilns	Victoria Battery ore kilns	Victoria Battery ore kilns
Victoria Battery ore kilns	Victoria Battery ore kilns	Victoria Battery ore kilns

The Acid Tanks

Victoria Battery acid tanks	Victoria Battery acid tanks	Victoria Battery acid tanks	Victoria Battery acid tanks
Victoria Battery	Victoria Battery

Around the site

Victoria Battery	Victoria Battery	Victoria Battery	Victoria Battery
Victoria Battery	Victoria Battery	Victoria Battery	Victoria Battery
Victoria Battery	Victoria Battery	Victoria Battery	Victoria Battery
Victoria Battery

Talisman Mine

Talisman Mine

The claims here were worked with little success prior to 1896 when the 'New Zealand Talisman Gold Mining Co' took over; having also acquired the neighbouring 'Woodstock Gold Mining Co.’s ground in 1895. New Zealand Talisman immediately commenced vigorous development of the property including driving seven adit levels and upgrading existing plant. In 1897 the company amalgamated with the Talisman Extended Co to form Talisman Consolidated Ltd. TCL erected a new 50 stamp mill (the bulk of the surviving field remains) which commenced crushing in 1901. TCL’s highest production was in 1914 yielding 52,210 tons of ore bullion valued at £263,516. By 1918 ore reserves were practically exhausted. The company was wound up in 1920

Sketch map of the area	Plan of the Talisman Mine	Plan of the Talisman Mine	Plan of the Talisman Battery
Talisman Battery	Talisman Battery	Talisman Battery	Talisman Battery
Talisman Battery	Talisman Battery	Talisman Steam Engine	Talisman Air Compressor
Talisman No 8 Level	Talisman Mine	Talisman Mine

Talisman Powerhouse

The Talisman powerhouse is on the the left bank of the Waitawheta River and across from the Battery.

Talisman Powerhouse

Talisman Powerhouse

Talisman Powerhouse

Talisman Battery

The Talisman battery is on the the right bank of the Waitawheta River opposite the powerhouse.

Ore crusher noticeboard	Talisman ore crusher	Talisman ore crusher	Talisman ore crusher
Talisman ore crusher	Talisman ore crusher	Talisman ore crusher	Aerial ropeway noticeboard
Talisman aerial ropeway	Talisman aerial ropeway	Talisman aerial ropeway	Talisman aerial ropeway
Cyanide tanks noticeboard	Talisman cyanide tanks	Talisman foundations	Talisman foundations
Talisman foundations	Talisman foundations	Talisman foundations	Talisman foundations
Talisman foundations

Woodstock Battery and kilns

Woodstock Battery

The Auckland based 'Woodstock Gold and Silver Mining and Smelting Co' was formed in 1885, headed by William Gorrie. Roderick McDonald Scott was mine manager.. It met with little success because of the difficult, refractory nature of the ore despite its high grade. In 1890, the company was reconstructed as the 'Woodstock United Goldmining Co' after merging with the 'Kenilworth Co'. It wasn’t until the introduction of the ‘cyanide’ process in 1894 (developed by the nearby Crown Gold Mining Co in 1889), which greatly improved returns, that the mine developed. In 1897 the 10 stamp battery was increased to 40 stamps and a cyanide plant erected at the confluence of the Ohinemuri and Waitawheta Rivers. Around 1900 the company constructed a large underground pumphouse chamber on the west bank of the river to accommodate a headframe and shaft within the narrow confines of the gorge becoming the centre of the company’s operations. It had developed the mine at five levels, producing around 140 000 ounces of gold, before closing in 1903. The Woodstock Co was acquired by the Talisman Co in 1904, who accessed part of its Talisman level 14 workings through the Woodstock shaft, and operations at the battery ceased in 1909 after a flood, and then a fire the following year. The Talisman Co was liquidated in 1920. (DoC)

Woodstock Battery	Woodstock Battery c1885	Woodstock Battery	Woodstock Battery,1897
Woodstock Battery, c1895	Woodstock Battery, c1914	Woodstock Battery flood damage
Woodstock Battery on fire, 1910	Woodstock Battery on fire, 1910	Woodstock ore kilns	Woodstock ore kilns, c1890
Woodstock pumphouse	Woodstock pumphouse	Woodstock pumpshaft

Woodstock Battery

Woodstock Battery

Woodstock Battery	Woodstock Battery	Woodstock Battery	Woodstock Battery
Woodstock Battery	Woodstock Battery	Ironmongery in the undergrowth
Woodstock Battery	Woodstock Battery	Woodstock riverside pipeline	Woodstock drainage level

Woodstock Ore Kilns and Incline

The Woodstock ore kilns were above the battery and were fed with ore brought along the tramway from the Windows mine . The incline linked the ore kilns and mine to the battery and is now the main access to the Windows mine.

Woodstock ore kilns level	Woodstock ore kilns level	Woodstock ore kilns level	Woodstock ore kilns level
Woodstock Battery ore kilns	Woodstock ore kilns level	Woodstock Battery incline	Woodstock Battery incline

Woodstock Underground Pumphouse

Woodstock underground pumphouse

Woodstock pumphouse tramway

Woodstock pumphouse tramway

Woodstock pumphouse tramway

The Woodstock 'Windows' Walk

The Woodstock 'Windows' Walk

The Woodstock ‘windows’ tunnels are on the North side of the gorge about 35 metres above the river. They follow Shepherd’s Lode, the location where most of the rich ore was won. The tunnels are connected by a 500 metre tramway (Woodstock tramway) to the company’s battery site at the confluence of the Ohinemuri and Waitawheta Rivers. The main tunnel, cut through sound rock, is about 100 metres long, 2.5 metres wide, and 2.5 metres high (for horse drawn operations), and is 5 to 10 metres inside the cliff face. Crosscuts run off it at right angles into the hillside. Where the crosscuts and tunnel intersect, the miners created ‘windows’ in the cliff face to dump mullock (waste rock) into the river, while the gold bearing ore was retained and trucked along the tramway to the battery.

The tunnels and ‘windows’ in their spectacular gorge setting were a major engineering achievement and have created a significant and enduring heritage site. Waikato Conservancy has just completed the first stage of a major development (the Karangahake Mines project) of the sites in this area. This work has seen the historic tunnel which runs parallel to the cliff face, extended by 70 metres and in tandem with a new staircase created a circuit walk around the significant mining heritage sites in the lower gorge. In addition track was re-laid on the Woodstock tramway to both remove the tunnellings and recreate an historic element. New tunnel portals and safety barriers have also been installed in key locations. (DoC).

The Woodstock 'Windows' Tramway

The Woodstock tramway ran from the ore kilns to the mine, known these days as the 'Windows' tunnels.

The Woodstock 'Windows' tramway	The Woodstock 'Windows' tramway	The Woodstock tramway wagon	The Woodstock tramway wagon
The Woodstock 'Windows' tramway	The Woodstock 'Windows' tramway
The Woodstock 'Windows' tramway	The Woodstock 'Windows' tramway	The Woodstock 'Windows' tramway	The Woodstock 'Windows' tramway
The Woodstock 'Windows' tramway	The Woodstock tramway, 2013	The Woodstock tramway, 2017	The Woodstock 'Windows' tramway
The 'Windows' tunnels ironmongery	The Woodstock 'Windows' tramway	The Woodstock 'Windows' tramway	The Woodstock 'Windows' tramway

The 'Windows' tunnels

The 'Windows' tunnels

The first 'Windows' tunnel	The first 'Windows' tunnel	The first 'Windows' tunnel	The first 'Windows' tunnel
The first 'Windows' tunnel	Between the 1st and 2nd tunnels
The second 'Windows' tunnel	The second 'Windows' tunnel	The second 'Windows' tunnel	The second 'Windows' tunnel
The second 'Windows' tunnel
The third 'Windows' tunnel	The third 'Windows' tunnel	The third 'Windows' tunnel
The third 'Windows' tunnel	The third 'Windows' tunnel	The third 'Windows' tunnel	The third 'Windows' tunnel
The third 'Windows' tunnel	The third 'Windows' tunnel
The third 'Windows' tunnel	The third 'Windows' tunnel	The third 'Windows' tunnel

The Windows from the Crown Mine tramway

The Windows viewed from the Crown Mine tramway on the South bank of the Waitawhera River

Windows Walk

Windows Walk

Windows Walk

Windows Walk

Crown Mine

Crown Mine

Crown Mine and Battery. The 'Crown Goldmining Co' which first worked this site was registered in 1883, but operations at the beginning were difficult due to the refractory nature of the ore. They erected an inclined tramway from the mine to the battery to transport ore. In 1891, they commenced mining of the Welcome Reef, driving an adit 2894 feet. In 1896 a shaft was sunk from a chamber within this level for 526 feet, and developed five levels from it. Mining concentrated on the upper most level called 5A with the lowest level was still 500 feet above the river level. The lower levels suffered flooding problems. The company gradually took over neighbouring claims, increasing from an initial 60 acres to 404 acres. These leases included the Earl of Glasgow, Monastery, Mammoth, and Ravenswood. By 1891 it was owned by the 'New Zealand Crown Mines Co'. The introduction of the cyanide process in the 1890's improved extraction rates and by 1896 the plant had expanded to 60 stampers. By 1908 difficulties, particularly surplus water, were encountered in the mining operation and profitability declined from 1910 to 1915 and by 1916 most of the workers had been laid off. In 1920 the battery was dismantled and very small scale mining continued until 1928, when the company abandoned the lease and was wound-up.

Crown battery	Crown battery downstream	Battery under construction	Crown battery
Crown battery	Crown Mine tunnel	Crown Mine	No 6 Level entrance
No 6 Level entrance	Powerplant and tramway	Crown Mine	The Cyanide process

The Crown Battery

Crown battery	Crown battery	Crown battery	Crown battery
Crown battery	Crown battery	Crown battery	Crown battery
Crown battery	Crown battery	Crown battery	Crown battery pipeline

The Crown Mine

Upstream from the suspension bridge on the North bank

Crown Mine level	Crown Mine level		Crown Mine pipeline
Drainage level	Crown Mine level	Crown Mine level	Crown Mine level

Downstream from the suspension bridge on the South bank

Crown Mine bridge	Crown Mine bridge
Crown Mine tramway	Crown Mine tramway	Crown Mine tramway	Crown Mine tramway

Drainage levels on the Crown Mine tramway on the South bank, possibly from the Talisman Mine

Drainage levels on the tramway

Drainage levels on the tramway

Drainage levels on the tramway

Drainage levels on the tramway

Karangahake and Paeroa

Karangahake Tunnel

The railway between Paeroa and Waihi was built between 1900 and 1905. It was the main line to the Bay of Plenty until the Kaimai tunnel was opened in 1978.

Karangahake Tunnel as it was	Western exit bridge of the tunnel	Western exit bridge of the tunnel	Western exit bridge of the tunnel
Western portal of the tunnel	Karangahake Tunnel	Karangahake Tunnel	Karangahake Tunnel
Karangahake Tunnel	Eastern portal of the tunnel	Eastern exit bridge of the tunnel

Paeroa

The gold extraction tanks were built in c1912 by the Waihi-Paeroa Gold Extraction Co Ltd.<

Gold extraction tanks at Paeroa

Gold extraction tanks at Paeroa

Acknowledgments, sources and further reading.

Thanks for photos, info and help to :- Auckland Museum, Dept of Conservaton (DoC), Goldfields Railway Inc., Heritage New Zealand, Mindat.org, Ohinemuri.org.nz, Victoria Battery Tramway & Museum Society Inc.