Environmental

The Karangahake you see today is vastly different to that of the mining heydays. The mountain was bare of trees. The timber was used to fire kilns in the initial attempts to extract gold from the quartz rock.

In 1895 the Ohinemuri River was declared ‘a sludge channel’ and tailings, mining debris and waste water were discharged directly into the river. This continued until the closing of the last gold and silver processing battery at Waikino in 1952.

Today the mountain and gorge are covered with regenerating punga and natives (sprinkled with rogue pine trees!) and the clear, sparkling Ohinemuri River is teeming with rainbow and brown trout. A sure sign that the river has recovered its natural vibrancy.

The mining ruins and history of Karangahake are a wonderful testimony to man’s determination and industry in the pursuit of that elusive mineral ‘gold’. And now, Karangahake is testimony to the healing power of planet Earth if left to its own devices.