Hot water and Gold
Dawnbreaker
Lars Alfredson
Sun 18 May 2014 09:37
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Pos 36:53.41S 175:49.0E Hot Water Beach. Thursday and Friday We're off to check-out a beach that's suppose to have Hot water pools in the sand. We are to dig holes in the sand at low tide. Today low tide will be about 13.30pm. The beach was packed just where the Thermal water is suppose to come up. Everyone had spades they had rented, you could see that they were mostly rented because of their colour. There wasn't much room left so we didn't bother with the beach.   Crowds waiting for low tide Dig quick, make a hole so we can lie in it. Lars went for a walk after we left the beach. We saw a place to stay not far from the Hot water beach and it had Thermal pools that we could get into without lots of people. While on his walk, Lars came back via the beach and tried the water that had been left as most of the people had long gone. He said it was very hot and he wouldn't be able to put his whole foot in. He took some really lovely photo's of the area.   The beach the other side of Hot Water Beach. An inlet going into the river.  The evening finished with this amazing picture of the moon. We're not far from Waihi where there is a mine in the middle of the town. Two men started digging here in 1872. They knew there was Gold in the rock but it needed to be dug out. The Mine is still going and still producing Gold and Silver. The Town has grown around the mine and if you're in town you wouldn't know there was a huge hole just down the road.   All that is left of the old pump house which took water out of the mine The mine. We couldn't see the bottom. We took a tour which actually took us part way into the mine. The equipment for the mine worked only 5 1/2 days and work stops at 19.00pm, that was only in the open mine in town but there is another mine which is closed mostly and that runs 24/7.   The piles of rocks have gold in The dumper trucks that take 90 tons of rock to the chrusher.   One of the lakes that has formed from the mine The new mine only shows the entrance. When the new mine does not produce any more, all that will be seen is a door that once was a working mine, nothing else. The one in town will be turned into a lake and park area for people and birds to swim in. We left our guide Catherine and looked for a nice quiet Camping Ground. We found one that was near a river and while I rested, Lars was again out walking around the area. He found an area that looked as if there had been a flood. Everything had been flattened and branches and tree trunks had gathered around the trees still standing.   The river near our Camper van The leftovers from a flood   Me taking my first swim in a Thermal Pool Our Camper Van parked under the trees of winter. I liked this Camp ground because of the water and the natural area. The trees had been left alone and not cut down as in some Parks. That's it for this moment. Love Caroline and Lars x |