Great place to visit, lady there was very helpful and knowledgeable, giving us a great run down of its amazing history. Road to it was narrow and winding, but worth the journey. Really nice trails and water features, cool and peaceful. Ducks to feed. Highly recommend A+++

Beautiful place to spend some days. Caretaker and owner very friendly and helpful. The gardens are lush and beautiful to walk around.

Rapaura Water Gardens – He Taonga Ora A Living Treasure Rapaura Water Gardens in Tapu are a taonga, alive with wairua, history, and the mauri of the whenua. From the moment we arrived, the sound of the awa carried us into a different space — a place where past and present flow together.We climbed to the end of the track which we were blessed to view an opening of the shallow part of the opening of the waterfall, where the wai tumbled gently over the rocks. It was here that we acknowledged all that have been before us and left and the many stories and history this Awa has. Feeling completely blessed and appreciating the wairua and mauri of this space we felt this was a perfect time and place to karakia, give thanks and to cleanse our whanau, our greenstone taonga and really tune into this incredibly spiritual place. This was such a blessing, and a reminder of whakapapa and the timeless connection between people, land, and water.Standing there, with wai in our hands and our babies by our side, we felt the aroha of our tīpuna and the embrace of Papatūānuku. Rapaura Water Gardens in Tapu are more than a visitor attraction it is a sacred taonga where wai, whenua, people, and wairua flow together. The awa, now called the Tapu River (once known as Waipatukahu Stream), runs clear through the gardens, carrying with it stories of the land and its people.Since 1993, a whānau has lovingly carried the responsibility of kaitiakitanga (guardianship) for this whenua and awa. Their aroha and care can be felt everywhere – in the thriving native rākau, in the calls of ngā manu that echo through the gardens, and in the peaceful pathways that allow manuhiri to walk gently upon the land. Rapaura is not just a place you see — it is a place that touches you, cleanses you, and stays with you. A sanctuary of healing, grounding, and connection. 💧🌿✨ ❤️

We are blessed to have found this beautiful place to stay on our way to Driving Creek. The house was so cozy , clean and with character! Our appreciation to Serena (?Spelling ) for her warm and attentive service. We ordered food for BBQ dinner and they turned out excellent. The house was surrounded by the watergarden that we saw friendly little ducks , we enjoyed the walk there . Highly recommended to anyone looking for a place to stay in the Thames .

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Perfect Stay! We had an amazing time at this accommodation! The host was incredibly welcoming and made sure everything was perfect for our stay. The house itself is spacious, spotless, and beautifully decorated. every detail felt thoughtful and inviting. The view from the house overlooking the garden and river is just stunning. The garden is beautifully maintained, and the walk along the river was such a highlight, it leads to a breathtaking waterfall that’s absolutely worth the stroll. We couldn’t have asked for a better place to stay. Highly recommend this wonderful home to anyone looking for a peaceful and picturesque getaway.

Just visited the gardens. Restaurant was closed for main meals. Could do light fare only. Lovely day to visit in the mid 60's and overcast. A lot of stuff in bloom already and it's only end of Oct. Wheelchair/ Walker friendly to the lily ponds, but not the yellow track or up to the falls. I'd say to the falls you'd need to have decent knees. Maybe a 3 on scale of 1-10 for difficulty. Worth it for sure if you can make it. We spent 1.5 hours doing all the paths including feeding the ducks and sitting for awhile.

The host was welcoming, friendly and helpful. A beautiful tranquil garden and bush retreat with natural water features. Followed by a panini, cake and coffee. We loved our time here ❤️

We had so much fun and memories are established here! Surely, the council work alongside the owners and develop a collaborative plan to restore a community resource! Let's find a solution and make this work so the fun times and memories return and remain sustainable. There should have been some legal obligation for maintenance, restoring and sustainability moving forward. Iconic places like this have a community responsibility. Just my thoughts and obviously just my opinion without legal knowledge but surely the message is restoration, reopen, maintain, and sustain. Places like this should have provisions before sale.

The staff were very friendly. I thought the drive was out the way and the prices a bit on the steep side. The facilities are adequate with a grass patch, some BBQs, tables and chairs, change rooms toilets and a single shower. Everything looks like it could do with a bit of a spruce up. I would have appreciated a bit of shade covering over the pool. The cafe had good food and wonderful service.

Lovely place💙 I've been going to this pool since I was a baby. Good times and great memories. Fun for the whole family. Really yummy food and kind staff members.

This beautiful Hot springs is definately the place to be to unwind, entertain and family friendly. Thermal pool with lots of play space for families and kiddies. Its a fair drive but it is soooo worth the gas. The prices are meh ok It is pretty expensive for private pools however, if you enjoy just relaxing and mingling with ethnic families you will love being there

A favourite place to visit since childhood. Food at cafe was good and reasonably priced. Entry prices are as is on website. Place was clean and tidy. Good for families.

No shelter over main pool is a bummer, and no cold water pool at all. But still loved it, spent an entire day there and went home feeling relaxed.

Out do or heated pool near the east coast lovely staff and hot food available. Family friendly business.

What a fun place! About 8 species of butterfly. Worth a stop.

Good for a warm up and interesting for kids under new friendly ownership

If you are planning on visiting he butterfly house in Thames NZ reconsider your options it has been closed for a month due to relocation in progress. unfortunate that there has been no notice been made on their website.... DISAPPOINTED.......

Was great to walk through, was able to take the buggy through so the little one could see. Lovely staff and quiet.

It is not there any more ! No signs at all. There was a brown signage on the Tararu rd. which has been painted white now.

Cool place to visit. Beautiful butterflies and the owner is okay too.

Best thing do on a cold day. Was awesome see so many different types of butterflies

We just had a wonderful experience visiting this lovely historic Gold mine. It was very informative about the history of gold mining in New Zealand. The staff was very helpful and knowledgeable made a good experience.

Russel did such a good job leading the tour. Very informative and we all enjoyed it. Provided a lot of stories and background of how the gold was mined and fined. A must go while you are in Thames. Such a treasure in NZ history.

Great tour on our way to our Coromandel hotel. Be aware that the last tour was around 12:30 pm - the mine’s website seems to have outdated information. Some old buildings and equipment to look at, but the highlight was a tour of some of the old tunnels. The ceiling of the tunnel was low so there are hardhats to wear, and yes, you need them! Floor a bit uneven and you have to climb up a staircase with 12 steps up. Our tour guide was a geologist and she explained the different ways of how gold can be extracted. During the tour we learned about the dusty and dangerous work that the miners experienced, and we got to see and touch a remnant of the quartz ore. In this mine, the gold is bound to silver and the rocks extracted from the mine had to be crushed and treated with mercury. The amalgam balls we’re then heated to evaporate the mercury, and the silver/gold mixtures were poured into bullion bales to be sent to the Mint in Perth, Australia. The tour also involved a demonstration of the very big and loud ‘battery’ machine, which crushed the rocks with 5 stampers. At the end of the tour, there was a gold panning through for kids of all ages.

The amazing Alan took us for a wonderful tour around the mine, telling us everything about it in about 45 minutes in total after which we spent another half an hour walking around using the provided map. Great stop on the way to Coromandel. Alan had several different groups and he managed them perfectly!

We loved the commentary from the volunteer and how passionate he was about the history of goldmining.

Amazing experience with very passionate staff. After having our innital tour down the mines we bumped into Alan, who was so knowledgeable, telling us all about how everything has been reconstructed. We would highly recommend this trip to anyone in the area, or even further afield! 10/10 experience!!

Loved this place! Very informative staff, interesting facts, got to pan for gold ( you have to buy a bag to pan, $15, guaranteed gold flakes though) $20pp, plus the cost of a bag to pan. Guided tour through a mine shaft too. Loved it 100% if you're there, definitely go see

What a special place if you like the outdoors, bush, birds etc. Cheap nightly fee and so much to do & see or just relax with nature

Great hike with varied experiences. A relatively steady climb to the hut, with a lot of large stone steps. The hut is large and there is gas to cook on. Rooms are shared with approx 20 other people, accommodating 80. Must book. The hike to the summit has a lot of stairs but otherwise relatively not to difficult. The last reach to the summit is a vertical ladder climb. Overall a great hike I completed with my 11 year old son. Will do again and explore further.

We came out because I was having trouble getting an account set up online, Donna was awesome and patient and did it all for me . We now can use Doc campsites. Whilst there hubby had a good look at all the info available about NZ wildlife. Thank you so much

First time completing this walk to the Pinnacles. Very tough terrain, beautiful environment. Plenty of young and old Kauri trees. Hut Warden Chris was very friendly. If you are staying overnight at the hut then you need to prebook a bundled. Lookout was absolutely spectacular.

Firstly the building itself is quite contemporary looking. The centre is educational and informative. The maps and models are displayed. They also have souvenirs and craft for sale. You can also buy drinks and ice cream. The staff is nice and friendly.

Friendly staff with helpful and informative advice on hikes and camping sites. Plenty of reading about the area and videos of what to expect on the hike to the Pinnacles.

Great experience in the mountains. Would recommend it to everyone.

This place harbours a lot of treasures history about the Gold Rush era in NZ . The school has its labs and classrooms with desks, chalk board and apparatus still intact. Models of how machines of yesteryear operated are on display and the the tour guides were very informative in updating us with a lot of knowledge. Another area of the museum held scores of precious stones, minerals, fossils and even coral. A must visit for especially the geography enthusiasts

What a fascinating place. The tour was excellent and the guide friendly and knowledgeable. The rock shop was also great and I went home with a few new items. Highly recommend.

We arrived in Thames late 07/10/2023 and found we had just missed the Thames School of Mines 15:30 pm last session for the day. The lady suggested coming back the next day at 10:30am. So we did. Steve our tour guide was absolutely a fountain of information regarding Thames School of Mines. Thames School of Mines is a treasure trove of artifacts, buildings, historic information and a visual feast. We loved the whole allocated time and extra Steve put into showing us Thames School of Mines. Love the Moa Gizzard Stones Steve.

Visited on Waitangi open day. Free entry! Great piece of history. Lots of interesting exhibits in great condition. Well worth a visit. Most of the guides were friendly and helpful. The museum souvenir shop is a gem. Good quality and good value. Found a nicely crafted haematite ring. If we are passing, will stop in again.

We really enjoyed taking this tour! FANTASTIC tour given by Russel, Very informative and knowledgeable guide. If you like to know the heritage and history of mining in Thames and NZ, Highly recommend visiting this place . The school is in as is condition from 1950s and has an artistic and nostalgic appeal to it. the tour has 3 parts and takes about an hour to complete!

We didn't go through the museum, although I have in the past and would recommend it. Today we just browsed thru the gift shop and bought some fabulous crystals. I recommend the full tour if you have time, it's quirky and interesting history and the exhibits are very authentic.

Fascinating history of mining in Thames and the town itself. Our guide was tremendously knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and fun. Great experience.

Lovely, full of local stories and artifacts. Staff is very friendly and helpful. Entry price very low (10 dollars for a whole family)

I loved it, so many things to see here. I loved the wooden models of the old historic buildings of Thames.

Wow really enjoyed my experience, on Friday 27th jan. it was $7 to take my moko and do the treasure hunt experience with her, learning about the thames history. It was very interactive and informative the lady at the counter was very helpful, knowledgeable and gave us excellent service. We did a tresure hunt around the museum while also learning about the history. My moko really loved using the bell to send money to the cashier, using the old chalkboards, the old model bridge in kopu, the maori pa model and getting a little prize for her at the end , so ty definitely worth a visit!

Great place! Loved learning about thames. And the local history

Small museum buy lots of interesting items in it. There was also a short slideshow on the are. $5 entry fee per adult which is very reasonable. Beautiful wooden replics of old buildings of Thames

I find that these local museums really informative, and this one is no exception. A great museum with very helpful and knowledgeable staff. A good way to learn about local history and interesting things.

Lovely museum with much more to see than first meets the eye. Merv was incredibly informative and charming! Make some time to wander through.

Was met by extreme hostility from the front counter person. Not a welcoming experience for tourists.

It’s a lovely place, and the people are very friendly. I also want to sincerely apologise to everyone — last December, I panicked after missing the bus and was quite rude. There was a kind, gentle lady who tried to help me; I don’t know her name, but I’d like to say sorry. To help you remember: I was the Indian guy who missed the bus and panicked because I was worried about missing my flight. That was me. Apart from that, please continue being kind to others — and I’ll make sure not to repeat what happened last time.

Good information

Was met by extreme hostility from the front counter person. Not a welcoming experience for tourists.

It’s a lovely place, and the people are very friendly. I also want to sincerely apologise to everyone — last December, I panicked after missing the bus and was quite rude. There was a kind, gentle lady who tried to help me; I don’t know her name, but I’d like to say sorry. To help you remember: I was the Indian guy who missed the bus and panicked because I was worried about missing my flight. That was me. Apart from that, please continue being kind to others — and I’ll make sure not to repeat what happened last time.

Good information

Do not shop at this store. Do not enter this store. The owner posted inflammatory and false allegations, along with several images of my child, on a community Facebook page with over 38,000 followers. Bank transactions confirm that the requested payment was made, and she has failed to provide any proof to support her allegations. The tone of her post incited hurtful and bullying comments online, which have been reported to the appropriate authorities. Our family has three generations who have lived and thrived in the Thames community. I am horrified that you would tarnish the reputation of the business community in this way.

They seem to like to speak over others and even customers at time and Why am I seeing some temu items for almost triple the price? Why am I seeing two of the same items at different prices? I thought it was multiple merchants and workers with their own items? Seems like there's competing prices and stock which doesn't seem very fair and some aren't even handmade. I have mixed feelings about this place as they have some cool things but it seems like it's becoming competitive as there is hand made having to compete again masproduced. We should support our locals not squish the little guys. Remember people, look for the imperfections when looking at thing's that claim to be hand made.

The entrance to the indoor market looks like a normal shop but when you head in, you can go further towards the back area which contains a range of very interesting items. The indoor market is almost like a large garage sale with interesting and weird items for sale. There are also a few speciality shops like one that does carvings. It was an interesting stop just looking at all the things they had for sale.

This is indeed a treasure grove, had an absolute blast looking through all goodies, a little bit of everything for everyone, definitely worth a visit!

Lots of vintage items, homemade items. Books, bric a brac, great steampunk selection. A real kiwi market indoors

Great bargains and lots to see. Very interesting place to browse and chat with staff

Always interesting. I had a inexpensive lovely shoulder massage

Nice architecture building, was here 3 months ago

I went to this archive where they attempted to extort money even before I got into the door. They have a monopoly on the local archives as both the local museum and the local library have surrendered their material to the Treasury. There is literally nowhere else you can go. I complained to both the Treasury and the local council and they said they would look into it. Checking a year later and they had done nothing. If you want to do your own research in person, then this is the official response as at 19 November 2018: "The charges are: $15.00 per person for a hours research. This also includes assistance from one of our volunteers to help you find the material. We do not allow photographs to be taken, but yes photocopying is available at 20 cents per Black & White A4 sheet or you can take notes". Note that the above information regarding the details of their exorbitant charges was nowhere to be found on their website as of November 2018. They just want you to come to the door and then they confront you - take it or leave it. After having travelled around New Zealand for 15 months doing research, The Treasury was by far the worst experience I had. The majority of museums and libraries were very helpful and are a credit to their localities. I was very happy to pay a contribution or make a donation, especially for a private Museum. But The Treasury holds its information to ransome and by doing so reflects badly on the local community. Their management could not even understand when I raised the irony that they occupy the old Carnegie Library in Thames. Carnegie’s bequest was intended to help communities by providing access to knowledge via free public libraries.

Amazing building, and top rate assistance from the staff on my family history research.

So very interesting historically

An absolute joy to visit, right beside the sea in a beautiful heritage building filled with all types of art, sculpture, pottery and much more by local artists.

Popped in to check out the current exhibition. Featuring Mike Tate a local man with hidden talents. Very impressed at the woodwork art pieces. Priced reasonably too. Well worth a visit.

Warm and inviting, both atmospheric and personalities!! A fabulous array of talent, with something to appeal to everyone 🥰 I came away with a Dennis Raines original, and treasured meeting the 96 year old artist, himself.

Very nice place. Creative art and nice staff. You can buy pottery and paintings to support local artists. Very beautiful. I can recommend to all turists and locals.

The gallery is wonderful. The artist working on the day is a local potter. She was so knowledgeable about the pieces, the processes and the artists. The artwork is affordable and beautiful.

Stopped by the gallery on a whim and we were super impressed! Fabulous and very reasonably priced artwork! Excellent place to pick up gifts for family back home. It was difficult to tear ourselves away! Just noticed another review that said the gallery was always packed. We were the only people in there for quite some time. A couple of others stopped by, but there was certainly plenty of space for more people.

Had the privilege of attending the opening of the latest Expo at the Thames Society of Arts and was very impressed by the great art works on display. So many talented artists and a wide variety of work to be seen. Always worth a visit when exploring the Coromandel.

Well worth a visit....views....remembrance

It's a pretty view but the council need to trim the trees as a lot of the view is obstructed because of the tall trees in the way.

Visited the Thames War Memorial Monument around sunset, and it turned out to be one of the most peaceful and scenic spots in the area. The view from the top was absolutely stunning, overlooking the town and the water bathed in golden evening light. It’s a lovely, family-friendly place to relax, take a short walk, and reflect. The monument is well-maintained and surrounded by calm, positive vibes. There’s nearby parking, and it’s easy to reach without much walking. A great stop if you’re passing through Thames — peaceful atmosphere, fresh air, and amazing views!

The monument is located on a hill close to the town. It looked like there was a walking path down the hill but we drove up. The road up was quite tight and looked like it would only have space for a single car but it wasn't busy so that wasn't a problem. After parking at the base of the monument, you head up the walkway to get to it. The monument is quite large and looks quite nice with plaques along the side of it. The view from the top is also quite nice, overlooking both the town and the Firth of Thames. There were a few paths at the top but I'm not sure where they led. The now that goes straight up goes into a grassy area surrounded by olive trees. It had a nice view of the monument with the Firth of Thames in the back. It was a nice place for scenic views of the area.

Good for a great sunset experience. Quiet and nice place.

The Thames War Memorial is a monument located in Grahamstown, Thames, New Zealand. It was built to commemorate the soldiers from the area who served in World War I and II. The monument is a large stone obelisk that stands in the center of a small park. The names of the soldiers who died in the wars are inscribed on the monument, along with a dedication to their memory. The Thames War Memorial is an important landmark in the town and serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made by those who fought for their country.

Beautiful little spot! Please be careful when driving as the road up here is very narrow.

Hiked to Crosbies Hut. From Karaka, it took 6.5h including some short breaks. Took my 13 year old, was super muddy in places. Hiking boots recommended. Some manoevering over fallen trees etc needed. Hiking poles recommended too. Crosbies hut has 3 dog kennels. Great views from hut to Whitianga. Hut was nice too.

Very fun in the wet. Not super steep or difficult so should be fine for most people looking for a good hike

Great track to walk. You need good walking shoes and be careful at some stages where it could be wet and muddy, but only for a few steps and then all good again. Terrain quite level but rocks and stones require an appropriate pace. Highly recommended and definitely a must if you are a keen tramper or casual walker. We time ourselves, half an hour and then turn around. If you walk the full distance, just make sure your pickup transport is sorted at the end!

Great walk to do with the grandkids.

Good track, got a bit muddy in some spots but not to troublesome, lovely views and the sound of the river running nearby is so peacefully, we'll worth the trip, bring solid shoes and a water bottle, track is easy enough with a steady incline up the hill. Well sign posted and easy to find.

Great bush walk, can be muddy in places and dry and Rocky in the others. The cleaning station before the track starts had run oitbof disinfectant when we were leaving. I wish there were more lookout or places to walk too. We just walked in for 45mins and then walked out

Great walk !!! Beautifull and interesting!! Clean ... Saw couple of mine caves...