Thames School of Mines

Brown St, North Island 3500 New Zealand

Open Now

Sat 11a-3p

Independent
No Wifi

“Fascinating Māori, industrial, education and geological history converge at one of New Zealand’s largest and best-preserved mining schools in the heart of the Hauraki gold fields.”

Today, a visit to Thames School of Mines opens the book on early New Zealand history, starting with the chief Te Apurangi whose descendants lie in the sacred urupā. The original education buildings look (and smell!) much the same as they did in the past, and feature authentic period equipment and laboratories. The Mineralogical Museum holds one of the best collections in the Southern Hemisphere, with more than 3000 specimens which include fossils from both New Zealand and abroad.

Guided tours bring this special site to life with captivating stories about the Hauraki area’s people and places. A few minutes’ walk from the centre of town, the Thames School of Mines is also an excellent venue for school or group tours, and a great place to start your exploration of the Thames and other historic Hauraki gold fields.