Martha Mine Waihi

Martha is unusual because the pit is not out of town - it is the town's neighbour, a hole about two hundred and fifty metres deep and six hundred across immediately beside the main street, with houses along the rim. Underground mining began here in 1878 and the field was one of the richest gold and silver producers in the country; open-pit mining started in 1988 and has continued in phases, with a major pit wall slip in 2015 that halted work for a time. A free public walkway runs around part of the rim with viewing platforms and interpretation, so you can watch the trucks working from directly above. The Cornish Pumphouse of 1904 stands at the edge, moved three hundred metres on rails in 2006 when ground beneath it became unstable - an engineering exercise the town still talks about. Tours into the workings run from the visitor centre.

What you actually see

• The pit - 250 metres deep, immediately beside the town.
• The rim walkway - free platforms looking down on working trucks.
• The Cornish Pumphouse - a 1904 building moved 300 metres on rails.
• The tours - into the workings, from the visitor centre.

When to go

Any season - it is a walkway and a working site. Weekdays show the mine in operation; weekends are quieter below.

Honest expectations

It is an active industrial site: noise, dust and blasting schedules. Sections of the walkway close when ground conditions require it. Tours are ticketed and need booking. The free part is a viewpoint, not an experience.

Nearby

Karangahake Gorge and its walkways are west; Waihi Beach is east.