Paeroa - Karangahake - Waihi

From Te Aroha, I drove further to Paeroa, where L&P was invented. This carbonated soft drink is 'World famous in New Zealand' and is made using a traditional recipe with lemon juice and mineral water from Paeroa. I tried it along with a portion of fish and chips at the L&P Café, and it tastes quite good (though it is also pretty sweet).

In the Karangahake Gorge, the first gold rush began in 1875 on the Coromandel Peninsula, and on the walking paths that start from the small town of Karangahake, one wanders alongside rivers and past old gold mine ruins. I chose the Karangahake Tunnel Loop Walk, which also leads through a 1km long tunnel.

Waihi is also a gold mining town, where the search for the precious metal was revitalized in 1987. However, the open-pit mining has since been discontinued, and the focus is now on underground mining.

I was particularly interested in the Cornish Pumphouse, which used to pump 300 tons of water per hour to keep the mine shaft dry. As the open-pit mine gradually approached the pumphouse and threatened to cause it to collapse, it was relocated to its current position in 2006 during a three-month operation. A similar situation occurred in Germany with a church, which now stands in Borna near Leipzig.

From Waihi, one can also take the Goldfields Railway several times a day along the Ohinemuri River to Waikino. The sidewalks were already raised when I arrived in Waihi around 4 PM, but I could still take a look at the quaint train station.

Finally, I drove on to Whangamatā, where I set up my camp next to a sports field.