Take a leap back in time
The history of Te Kauaeranga Thames extends back centuries, and when we understand what came before us, it helps us better understand the present. Read more historical context for the area so that you can look back in time as you walk or cycle our heritage trails or cruise the streets.
Bella Street Pumphouse
Bella Street Pumphouse contains gold mining artefacts, working models, historic photo displays, waterworks, electrical turbines and much more. It has been nearly Read More
Burke Street Wharf
The old Burke Street Wharf is a disused wharf built in the 1870s to service the Thames Gold Rush. It’s on the Read More
Goldmine Experience
The Goldmine Experience is a guided tour that takes you through operating 19th-century gold-mining machinery in Thames. Volunteer enthusiasts run the Goldmine Read More
Goldminers Database
Curious about who worked the New Zealand goldfields, including those in Thames? Check out this online goldminers database created and maintained by Read More
Grahamstown
Grahamstown, at the northern end of Pollen St, is a quirky historic shopping precinct full of cafes, antiques, art galleries, museums and Read More
Historic Kōpū Bridge
The Historic Kōpū Bridge was built in 1928 and has Heritage NZ’s highest possible ranking for a historic place, Category 1. The Read More
John William Hall Arboretum
John William Hall Arboretum is New Zealand’s oldest arboretum, established in 1872 by Thames chemist John William Hall. He began planting his Read More
Kauaeranga Valley
Te Kauaeranga (Pā) - This word means ‘The stacked bones of the whale jaw’. Waiwhakaurunga (Kauaeranga River) - means ‘the many bathing Read More
Kauaeranga Visitor Centre (DoC)
The Kauaeranga Visitor Centre (DoC) is one of the busiest in New Zealand. It’s your gateway to the Kauaeranga Valley, Coromandel Forest Read More
Model Kauri Dam
Visit an amazing one-third replica Kauri driving dam. The model kauri dam is accessed via from the Kauaeranga DoC Centre carpark and Read More
Pacific Coast Highway
The Pacific Coast Highway on the west side of the Coromandel Peninsula is one of the great coastal scenic highways in New Read More
Saint George’s Historic Church
Saint George's Historic Church is a remnant of the Goldfields of the Coromandel Peninsula and stands as a witness to a time Read More
Saint James’ Church
Saint James' Church was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. The following text is the original citation considered by the NZHPT Read More
Shortland Cemetery
Shortland Cemetery is of great historic importance to Thames and the surrounding district. By 1870 already 117 people had been buried there, Read More
Shortland Wharf
Shortland Wharf, or the Landing, is a significant location in the history of Thames. Shortland Wharf sits within the area of the Read More
Tararu Historical Cemetery
The Tararu Historical Cemetery is located just north of Thames on a hill high above the Pacific Coast Highway which provides an Read More
Te Tokotoru Tapu – Holy Trinity Anglican Church
Te Tokotoru Tapu - Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Pārāwai was designed and built entirely by Māori in 1886 and replaced the Read More
Thames Museum Te Whare Taonga o Te Kauaeranga
Thames Museum Te Whare Taonga o te Kauaeranga showcases the social history of our district with a modern Taonga Maori gallery and Read More
Thames Small Gauge Railway
It might be decades since the heyday of rail in Thames, when the town was even building and overhauling wagons as a Read More
Thames War Memorial
The Thames War Memorial stands on the site of Ngāti Huarere's Tutuka pā and has amazing views over Thames. It commemorates both Read More
The Mineralogical Museum
The Mineralogical Museum is located at the Thames School of Mines and it holds one of the best collections in the Southern Read More
The Thames School of Mines
In the 1880s, thirty Schools of Mines were opened around the country to provide practical instruction to gold miners. The Thames School Read More
The Treasury
The Treasury is housed within two extraordinary buildings of national and international interest and located side by side at 705 Queen Street, Read More
Waiomu Kauri Grove Walk
Visit one of the Coromandel Peninsula’s finest kauri stands on the Waiomu Kauri Grove Walk. It's an easy walk that follows Read More