8 minute read
Thames information
Thames is a former gold mining boom town which is now the main service hub for the Coromandel Peninsula’s many settlements.
While other towns lose their banks, you’ll still find them in Thames - along with everything else from department stores to award winning beauty therapy, niche retailers, great cafes and Jolly Bikes for hire and shuttles.
There are many historical homes, some of which including the Lady Bowen that was built in 1868, can be a feature of your Hauraki Rail Trail ride if you choose to stay and base yourself in the bushclad hills and coastal-fronted township of Thames. The Lady Bowen is one of the original hotels of Thames and was named after Lady Diamantina Bowen who was Governor George Bowen’s wife. George Bowen was Governor of New Zealand at the time.
Owners Barbara and Stuart Caisley suspect Diamantina never even came to Thames, although at the time the hotel was built, Thames was bigger than Auckland. The hotel had many uses since then, running as a hotel until the early 1950s when the owner took the name Lady Bowen and his liquor license to another hotel in Thames, leaving the property with a future wide open. “In the ensuing years it was used as a family home, it’s spent some time empty, it was an electrical workshop at one stage, it was a backpackers, a guesthouse, and it’s said that it was at one stage a brothel. It’s had rather a colourful history,” says Barbara.
T h e Tr e a s u r y
Barbara and Stu arrived three years ago and bought it as an empty building. They decided to try it as a bed and breakfast and with eight rooms available, they are popular with cycling groups. “Our plan is to convert kiwis so they can experience a really good bed and breakfast. We really look after our guests and are able to lock their bikes up, give them a memorable time with a shared lounge and dining room, outside covered decks and large garden.” Guests mingle if they want to but the place is big enough to just chill with a good book if you prefer. Barbara’s tips for Thames: “Cycle the trail, explore the historical attractions like old gold mines on the side of the road – the stamper battery at Goldmine Experience – and a lot of famous walks such as the Pinnacles Walk to spectacular scenery.” Thames has great shopping, regular Saturday morning market in Pollen St, Grahamstown and a crafter’s market every second monthly Saturday from 8am-2pm at St James Hall.
Re-Store in Pollen St is perfect for stocking up on ecofriendly essentials and healthy snacks for the trail, like Scroggins, delicious Meusli’s, honey and goods like locally made beeswax wraps, sandwich bags and coffee keep cups.
The business was a finalist in the Hauraki Coromandel Business Awards this year and is on Pollen St near the corner of Mary St. New local items are always coming in, such as the delicious sourdough loaves with daily deliveries, or decadent gluten free cake treats.
Pamper Me Medi Spa is in Thames, and booking up fast for summer 2022 so make sure you get online, call them or contact them via social media channels to secure your treatment as a reward for the cycling. Over the last 12 years, owner Pauline De Thierry has expanded this longstanding beauty business into an award winning full spa with a comprehensive treatment menu for both men and women. Clients drove the direction of the business, she says, and what was initially a “hidden secret” is now on the main retail centre street of Pollen St, all the way through to its former entrance in the service lane at the back.
The professionalism is second to none, from response time to queries to their protocol for keeping you safe during a pandemic, and Pauline’s team help you leave your stresses behind as soon as you walk through the door. “When you come to the business, stresses are left at the door and it’s ‘you’ time. A lot of our therapists are the personality type of doves, very caring, sympathetic and we keep our environment very positive. People know when they walk in to take a deep breath and enjoy the moment.”
A Hootenanny is an old country word for a “party” and is actually pronounced “Hoot-nanny”, so that’s why Noddy Watts of Beach hop fame named this new country rock festival. It will be a 3-day celebration at the Thames Racecourse, cowboys, pick up trucks, cowgirls, boots, haybales, tight jeans, beer & open spaces. And music, yes, legends from around New Zealand.
McDonald’s® Paeroa
• Located in Goldfields Shopping Centre 2 minutes from the trail • Free water bottle refills • Bike stand available
for SHOP online click & collect or delivery
a locally owned & operated bulk foods and household refill store with a focus on sustainability and reducing unnecessary packaging
Now online for click & collect or delivery Stocking a huge range of products including: North Island wide All your pantry essentials without the plastic www.re-store.co.nz Refill cleaning products & personal washes Sustainable personal hygiene options Custom made gift boxes for all occasions Collection of locally made goods from around the Coromandel
Bring in your own containers to re-fill or use our brown paper bags.
@restorewholefoods
Thames School of Mines
At the historic Grahamstown end of the Hauraki Rail Trail is the Thames School of Mines, one of the last mining schools in New Zealand and home to a museum unlike no other.
Come and park your bike in the purpose-built bike rack and learn about New Zealand’s own gold bonanza town, with a guided tour of Thames School of Mines that will educate and entertain rockhounds, crystal fans, geologists and every day historians alike. Their knowledgeable guides will take you back in time to the booming 1860’s as you walk through the historic buildings and learn about when gold was first found in the Coromandel and the process through which it was carefully extracted and processed before being exported overseas to be refined. Discover how, when mining stopped being profitable, the School of Mines shifted focus and browse the fascinating Mineral Museum, which is home to one of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest rock and mineral collections. Cared for by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and open Wednesday to Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm, with Guided Tours at 10.30, 11.30, 1.30 and 2.30, it’s an ideal stop to include in your Trail itinerary. Don’t miss the opportunity to pick up a saddlebag sized souvenir from our “World Famous in Thames…” Rock Shop, which stocks a dazzling selection of crystals and minerals. Thames School of Mines is located on corner of Brown and Cochrane Streets Thames, Ph +64 07 868 6227. For more information visitheritage.co.nz.
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TOP REASONS TO VISIT THAMES
1. Pamper yourself with treatments at Pamper Me and spend a few hours shopping the charming and undiscovered treasures of Thames.
2. The Grahamstown markets are held every Saturday morning in Thames and are a lively place to mingle with locals while sampling fare and browsing crafts, seedlings and other goodies. 3. Thames School of Mines, one of the last mining schools in New Zealand and home to a museum unlike no other. Come and park your bike in the purpose-built bike rack and learn about New Zealand’s own gold bonanza town, with a guided tour of Thames School of Mines that will educate and entertain rockhounds, crystal fans, geologists and every day historians alike.
4. Sunsets are grand in Thames and beaches along the Thames Coast bloom in November with the New Zealand
Christmas tree, the pohutukawa. There are also many parks like the William
Hall Arboretum which was created by a Thames amateur naturalist in the
Victorian era, and Kuranui Bay; ideal for picnics and relaxing. 5. The fish Shop located prominently on the wharf has been a Thames icon for the last 25 years, historically a fish wholesaler that offered a selection of fresh fish and related seafood products from the front of the shop still exists today. The fish n chips can be eaten in the Wharf Coffee House and Bar a quaint little coffee house that was established for exactly that purpose. Thames Museum Te Whare Taonga o te Kauaeranga is run by volunteers and displays the social history of Thames from earliest times through to James Cook’s visit in 1769 to the discovery of gold in 1867 and on into the mid-1900s. The Ted Egan Gallery is its point of uniqueness, housing over 30 models in recycled kauri, made by Ted over the past 20+ years and showing the architectural splendour of Thames in bygone days. The iron lung in the hospital display attracts great interest as we all make our way through the pandemic. Open Friday to Wednesday. “Normally” the museum is open 10am to 3pm, but during Level 2 we are only opening from 10am to 1pm. Adults $5, Children $2, Family of 2 adults and 2 school-age children $10. Prearranged group visits are welcome.
