Martha Mine

The Martha mine (mine Martha ) is New Zealand's largest gold and silver mine located near the town of Waihi, at the southern end of the Coromandel Peninsula on the North Island of New Zealand.

The mine Martha shows the colorful history of gold mining in New Zealand. Today The mine supplies about 80 % of New Zealand's output of gold and silver. Around 240 employees are directly engaged in the quarrying and processing of the ore, another approximately 750 people served indirectly through the mine with work.

The old mine Martha

In 1852, the first gold discoveries were made in New Zealand: Charles ring found on Kapanga Gold Creek, the first New Zealand gold rush drew hundreds of gold mining on the Coromandel Peninsula. 1878 discovered John McCombie and Robert Lee also at Martha Hill gold. But the ore with its low gold content seemed to them not mineable. The following year, William Nicholl took a four- acre (1.62 ha) of beautiful grounds and named it after a family member. The underground mining of the rock began. The recovery of gold from the rock simplified in 1882 with the commissioning of the first stone crushing plant

In 1890, the Waihi Gold Mining Company of London took over the mine. Four years later, the cyanide process was introduced for gold extraction. A private educational institution, the Waihi School of Mines was opened in 1897; it was closed again in 1947. In 1904, the so-called Cornish Pump House was built. 1912 went on strike Miners May to November.

1913 built by the Society at the Waikato River at Horahora the first hydroelectric power plant to supply power to the mine.

The old mine was closed in 1952. A total of about 174,160 kg of gold and 1.19318 million kilograms of silver had been taken out over 11.932 million tons of ore with underground mining in around 70 years. The deepest tunnel was about 600 meters deep, 1.6 km long and 30 meters wide. After the adjustment of the degradation, the mine was filled with groundwater.

The setting of the mine operation was the result of uncommitted at this time the world market price for gold, the so uneconomical mining conditions and the completely outdated machinery park and a shortage of labor as a result of the Second World War.

The new Martha Mine

With the rise in gold prices in the 1970s grew again the interest in gold mining in the mine Martha, there were still more occurrences known.

In 1976, the Company Waihi Mining and Development received an exploration license on Martha Hill. These explorations were strengthened in the coming years. In 1985 a mining license has been granted in the following year, the necessary water rights.

In 1987 the newly founded Waihi Gold Mining Company on the operation. First, the license terms to match the plant and land for water drainage and storage of the removed material were developed. On 15 May of the following year, the first gold was produced on June 15, the mine was officially opened, but this time as an open pit.

Expansion plans for the mining operation were introduced to the public in 1995, after this, another mining should be developed outside the village of Waihi.

For the full year 2000, approximately 104,000 ounces of gold and 804,000 ounces of silver from around one million tons of rock were obtained.

By 2007, the open pit mine Martha reached a maximum spread of 860 meters in length, 600 meters wide and 250 meters deep.

The operation of the mine Martha shuts down gradually since 2007. Although a further reduction may take place until 2017, while encouraging the plants but are continually dismantled. Plans already in place for further use of the claimed land for the period after 2017.

When licensing very high demands on environmental protection, water drainage and reclamation of used areas were asked. This problem is the non-profit Martha Trust to continue in the long term, even beyond the existence of the mine also. The company has been committed to provide the Trust with the appropriate financial resources.

The mine can be visited by visitors. The training center was to Martha Mine opened in 1999. Around 12,000 visitors are conducted annually by the plants.

Swell

• Information brochures of the Martha Mine Education Centre and the Waihi Information Center ( without ISBN ).