Waitawheta River
37°27′12″S 175°45′12″E / 37.453398°S 175.753441°E
Waitawheta River | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | New Zealand |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Kaimai Range |
Mouth | |
• location | Ohinemuri River |
• elevation | 38 metres (125 ft) |
Length | 17 kilometres (11 mi) |
The Waitawheta River is a river of the
After skirting the small settlement of Waitawheta, the river flows through the increasingly narrow Waitawheta Gorge before reaching the Karangahake Gorge. From the Karangahake end, several spectacular walks[1] lead into the gorge - the "Windows Walk"[2] through mining tunnels in the cliff face high above the river, the Crown Tramway Track (partly carved into the rock), and the Crown Track (also referred to as the Waitawheta Pipeline Walk),[3] which leads further into the gorge and to the Dickey Flat campsite. The Dickey Flat campsite is also accessible via Dickey Flat Road.
Mining
The confluence of the Waitawheta River and the Ohinemuri River used to be the centre of the gold mining industry in the Karangahake Gorge area, with the water of the Waitawheta River used for powering
Geology
The whole basin is within the
Waitawheta Quarry (east of the river, near the bush boundary)[5] was, in 2008, producing over 100,000 tonnes a year of andesite for aggregate.[6]
In 2017 there were protests against New Talisman Gold Mines' plans for mining on the Talisman site at Karangahake.[7]
Wildlife
A 2015 survey, on the edge of the bush, found
Logging
The lower part of the valley was exploited for gold, the upper part for timber. From 1898 to 1928[11] the Waihi Gold Mining Co,[12] then the Kauri Timber Co,[13] and, finally, the Waitawheta Sawmilling Co, from 1923, used a 19 km (12 mi), 825 mm (2.707 ft; 32.5 in) gauge[14] (or 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm))[15] tramway to the East Coast Main Trunk near Owharoa,[14] to remove 9 million feet (rather more than 2,000 trees) of mostly kauri logs.[16] Milling ended in 1928 when nearly all the trees had been removed and the tramway was then dismantled.[17] Since 2006, most of the 8 bridges over the river have been replaced by suspension bridges for walkers[18] along the remaining 14 km upper part of the tramway.[11] Waitawheta Hut was moved[19] in 2004[20] to the site of the Waitawheta Sawmill,[11] just above the Toilet Bowl waterfall.[21]
The 1913 Horahora to Waihi 50kV[22] power line also passed through the valley.[23] It was removed for scrap during World War 2.[24]
See also
References
"Place name detail: Waitawheta River". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
- ^ a b "Karangahake Gorge Brochure" (PDF). Department of Conservation NZ. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- ^ "Windows Walk: Karangahake Gorge". Department of Conservation NZ. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- ^ "New Zealand Topographic Map". LINZ. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- ^ "Geology of the Auckland area : scale 1:250,000 Digital Download". GNS Online Shop. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- ^ "Waitawheta Quarry". Leach. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- ^ A B Christie, R L Brathwaite, R G Barker (2008). SCIENCE REPORT 2008/14 - Mineral resource assessment of the Thames-Coromandel and Hauraki districts. GNS.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Background". Protect Karangahake. 23 November 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- ^ "Technical Report 2016/26 - Waihou and Piako ecological monitoring" (PDF). Waikato Regional Council. 2015.
- ^ "Policy Series 2014/06 - Waikato Regional Pest Management Plan Annual report 2013/14" (PDF). Waikato Regional Council.
- ^ "Waihi Daily Telegraph, 1924-12-16". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- ^ a b c "Waitawheta Tramway". Department of Conservation. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
- ^ "TIMBER DAM. (Ohinemuri Gazette, 1909-02-19)". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
- ^ "KAURI TIMBER. (Ohinemuri Gazette, 1910-03-04)". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
- ^ a b "Rail Heritage managed by the Department of Conservation" (PDF). June 2007.
- ^ "Price Rail Tractors". www.trainweb.org. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- ^ "Waihi Daily Telegraph, 1928-02-07". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
- ^ "TIMBER GETTING AT WAITAWHETA (Waihi Daily Telegraph, 1927-07-07)". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
- ^ "Bridge gives access to history". Stuff. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- ^ "Bay of Plenty Conservancy recreation opportunities review" (PDF). October 2004.
- ^ "Waitawheta Bush Tramway". Eventfinda. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- ^ "Toilet Bowl Waterfall". waterfalls.co.nz. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- ^ Law, Garry (June 2008). "Archaeology of the Bay of Plenty" (PDF). Department of Conservation.
- ^ "MapsPast | Current and historical topographic maps of New Zealand". www.mapspast.org.nz. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- ^ "Ohinemuri - Historic Trails - Waitawheta". www.ohinemuri.org.nz. Retrieved 26 August 2017.