Fascinating Maori, 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. Gold discoveries on 'The Thames' created the town of Thames.
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The Thames School of Mines & Mineralogical Museum was the largest of some 30 schools formed in the 1880s to assist gold miners working on the goldfields in New Zealand. The complex still contains a large amount of equipment related to the development and teaching of mining and extraction techniques. Its well-preserved interiors look (and smell) much the same as they did in the past, featuring authentic equipment and laboratories.

The Mineralogical Museum holds one of the best collections in the Southern Hemisphere with over 3000 specimens including fossils from New Zealand and abroad.

Open Wednesday - Sunday, 10.00am - 4.00pm

Guided tours at 10.30am, 11.30am, 1,30pm and 2.30pm bring this special place to life with captivating stories about the Hauraki area's people and places.

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Corner of Brown and Cochrane Streets
Thames
New Zealand