Thames A former gold mining boom town that once produced gold by the tonne. Thames has proudly maintained its heritage buildings and has some of the finest examples in New Zealand. Visit The Treasury, a finely restored 1905 Carnegie Library, and the School of Mines - undoubtedly the best preserved and most authentic example of a School of Mines still open to the public, with guided tours and a rock shop selling an excellent array of gems and crystals. At the toe of the bush-clad Coromandel mountain range that runs through the spine of the Peninsula, an operational gold stamper battery and original tunnels can be walked with a guide, and the restored gold stamper battery is noisily fired up at the end of your tour. You will need to take your time to really enjoy all that Thames has to offer, with historic walks and museum visits and great coffee. At the northern end alongside the Firth of Thames, cycle the Underfoot Gallery, colourful art pieces painted onto the footpath by the sea. A 20 minute drive inland from Thames is Kauaeranga Valley, an option for campgrounds and bush walks which can be done as daytrips or by venturing further up the Coromandel ranges. After a hike or ride, a stay at The Lady Bowen in Brown St is a delightful experience of Thames’ colonial heritage.
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Hauraki Rail Trail
The trail from Thames to Paeroa is rural, taking in quiet country roads under a wide blue sky. You’ll pass the Thames Airfield, where a replica WW2 Hurricane has been erected to honour Sir Keith Park. Sir Keith was a distinguished WWI fighter pilot who played a pivotal role in defending London and the South East of England during the Battle of Britain (15 September 1940). Commemorations were held in September 2020. The bronze statue of Park in Thames was created by Lyttelton artist Mark Whyte and cast in bronze by Jonathan Campbell, funded by a $200,000 bequest from the late Thames woman Betty Hare who left $200,000 for the bronze statue of Sir Keith to be created. If you are returning after the trail to Thames, take a car ride up the Thames Coast north to experience a stretch of Pohutukawa tree-fringed coastline, meditative and garden retreats like at Rapaura Gardens, and continue your journey around the Peninsula.
