Martha Mine Waihi

I dropped M off to play golf this morning and then l drove over to Waihi to look at the old Martha mine. The old Cornish steam house has been moved (phew, that must have been a task) and the mine itself which was closed in 1950s is now being mined again for gold and silver. The photo shows the enormous hole in the ground, all landscaped and looking rather beautiful in a strange architectural way.
As a teenager l used to catch the school bus from Whangamata to Waihi each day (about 15 miles over the gorge) a trip taking about an hour. We used to see the old Cornish steam house then, looking very grey and solemn.
The first additional photo shows the Cornish steam pump - can you imagine moving that?