An early 8.00am start from The Strand saw 16 trampers heading south to the Coromandel and a new area just a bit north of the Karangahake Gorge for the club to explore. Around two hours later we reached the end of the Maratoto Road, the starting point for our there and back tramp to the former Golden Cross Mine.
Between 1895 and 1920 the Golden Cross underground mine produced just over two and a half tonnes of gold. When the mine closed in 1920 the site became farmland.
Seventy years later in 1990 a new mining licence was granted. Mining was both underground and open pit and between 1991 and 1998 over twenty tonnes, of gold and fifty two tonnes of silver were extracted.
The mine officially closed for the second time in December 1998 and became the first modern mine in New Zealand to move into planned closure and final rehabilitation. The area is now used for grazing, wetland and native habitat.
The Maratoto-Golden Cross track mainly follows the course of the Maratoto Stream. We crossed this stream several times as we tramped up the ridge. Near the top of the ridge the track provided a nice view back down the valley to the Hauraki Plains.
Halfway along the track is an area where the miners used to periodically hold dances. Despite my best efforts to get everyone to pair off and my promise to provide musical accompaniment in the form of my famous rendition of Ray Stevens 'In the Mood' chicken song the vote against this was one for and fifteen against. Can't understand why?
At the end of the track we crossed re-grassed former mining land and stopped for lunch amongst a group of large boulders on the edge of the Tailings Lake.
The weather although looking a bit threatening remained overcast but essentially rain free. The round trip there and back took about four hours inclusive of lunch.
Then came the challenge of climbing the formidable looking 750 metre Mount Maratoto (not Whakamoehau as Bumper thought). Mountain climbing clubs ascend and descend the vertical rock face, however, it is possible to get to the top as a tramper, albeit you have to be okay with heights and the rather steep drop to the valley below. A wire rope over a rock face section was followed by the need to scramble up and down by holding onto small bushes that led to the summit.
Six of us made it to the top namely Chris Markham, Peter Ridge, Ora Pihema, John Hoy, Jane Diver and yours truly Ian W. Morris. From the summit we could just make out a yellow dot that was the club bus at the end of the Maratoto Road. The up and down trek took just on two hours. We briefly stopped at the Kopu Service Station on the way home to satisfy the hunger pangs of Chris Markham who had mistakenly brought a cut loaf of bread for lunch rather than the carefully prepared sandwiches he had left behind in his fridge. Is this what they call a senior moment ?
Thanks to the steady reliable services of our driver Bernhard we were safely back in Takapuna just after 7.00pm after an enjoyable day out.