Waihi Town Centre offers the Martha Mine and the Waihi Gold Mining Museum

Waihi Motel is located in the heart of Waihi town centre, just 100m from the local shops, supermarkets, restaurants, bars and cafes. Our accommodation’s facilities, combined with all Waihi has to offer, guarantee you and your companions a great holiday!

Shopping
Waihi offers a small shopping area, with a range of necessity shops such as banks, a post shop, a toy shop, a photography shop, a shoe shop and variety stores. The town also boasts a handful of boutique, second hand and antique stores. The Art Market is a great shop for New Zealand gifts and souvenirs, paintings, pottery, jewellery and much, much more.

Cafes, Restaurants and Bars
In Waihi, there’s a great selection of eateries for every taste or budget. Options inlcude fish and chips and a burger bar, a bakery, family restaurants and the exquisite Waitete Restaurant, Cafe and Ice Creamery – which comes highly recommended by Waihi Motel. Waietete offers delectable cuisine, with all meals made from certified organic ingredients. After lunch or dinner enjoy a delicious Waitete Orchard Ice Cream, made on the premises, from old fashioned recipes. Waihi Motel offers room service breakfast, for guests who prefer to eat-in, or great cafes such as Kava are available in Waihi town centre for breakfast, brunch or a light lunch.

Waihi Gold Mining Museum
Before a tour of the Martha Mine, learn about the heritage of Waihi at the Waihi Gold Mining Museum. Learn about the difference between mining 100 years ago and mining today. Explore the art gallery, check out the archives and see the pickled thumbs of the gold miners from the early mining years. In the early 1900s, gold miners were not given pensions. The only way that they would receive compensation after a lifetime of work was to be declared unfit. One of the easiest ways to do this was to lose a limb – the smallest being the thumb. Miners would chop their own thumbs off, meaning they could live a better life, supported by the compensation of the mining company. The museum is located on Kenny Street in the town centre of Waihi.

Martha Mine and Waihi Gold Mine Tours
The Martha Mine is an open pit mine, which has been operating since 1987, with underground mining dating back to the 1880s. Due to the huge size of this open mine, and the amazing look-outs and tours offered to visitors, the site has become a focus of great interest for tourists from New Zealand and overseas. The Martha Mine is easy walking distance to Waihi Motel. If you would like to explore the mine, book a tour with Waihi Gold Mine Tours – the only way to experience the depths of the Martha open pit mine! Click here for more information on Waihi’s gold mines.

Cornish Pumphouse
A well-known landmark of Waihi is the Cornish Pumphouse, which sits on the hill overlooking Waihi town centre. The pumphouse was built in 1904 and was used to dewater the underground mine using steam pumps, until 1914, when electricity was introduced. In 2004 investigations began into how this now derelict shell of a building could be moved, due to the unstable ground it was built upon. In 2006, the pumphouse was strengthened by internal bracing and the 1840 tonne building was moved to the present site where is rests.