18 May Geography Gold
On Monday, the Year 11 Geography classes went on a trip to the Martha Mine, located just two hours away in Waihi. After donning our high-vis vests, hard hats, and glasses, we were able to go and see the mine.
Martha Mine is an open-pit mine, and whilst back in the day, the pit was mined as deep as 600 meters, it is currently only around 200 meters deep. After seeing the mine and learning a bit about its origins, we were able to take the bus and go see where the ore deposits and waste rock go so that the gold and silver can be extracted, and we were lucky enough to be able to hold real gold and silver bars!
During the bus trip back, we were fortunate enough to stop at the Karangahake Gorge and the Ohinemuri River, walk around a bit and learn more about the area around us. Overall this trip was a fun event for many and we all learnt a lot about the true mining experience!
Palak Parmar – Year 11