Reviews of Thames Goldmine Experience. (Museum) in Thames (Waikato).

Thames Goldmine Experience

435 Reviews

185 Comments

Museum

Tourist attraction

Tararu Road, Thames 3500, New Zealand

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Description Map Open Hours Reviews Contact Photos

Description

Information of Thames Goldmine Experience, Museum in Thames (Waikato)

Here you can see the location, open hours, popular times, contact, photos and real reviews done by the users.

This place has good reviews, this means that they treat their customers well and you’ll feel great with their services, recommended 100%!

Map

Open hours of Thames Goldmine Experience

Monday

10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Tuesday

10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Wednesday

10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Thursday

10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Friday

10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Saturday

10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Sunday

10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Popular times

Monday

10
11
12
13
14
15

Tuesday

10
11
12
13
14
15

Wednesday

10
11
12
13
14
15

Thursday

10
11
12
13
14
15

Friday

10
11
12
13
14
15

Saturday

10
11
12
13
14
15

Sunday

10
11
12
13
14
15

Reviews of Thames Goldmine Experience

M. T.

Awesome place to visit. Peter the guide took our party through part of the goldmine explained the history and working of the mine. The museum was marvelous along with the gallery showcasing the men who worked in the mine. Highly recommended , will go back

N. E.

Such an excellent place to visit as a child and an adult! The walk through the mine is brilliant. Wear boots or good shoes if it's been wet as it is a legit clay earth and rock floor. One set of stairs you have to climb. Your own torch is handy too. We used our phone torch for extra light. The tour leaders are great and show and explain the history and the layout of the drives, shafts and workings. The working stamper is also excellent and we spent ages gold panning in the shade under the covered panning area. Picnic tables and a nice grassy area and a box of toys in the photo room. Well worth the $20 adult and $5 kids and look forward to when they get the blacksmith forge up an working. Will be back.

a. a.

Amazing guide and tour. Our 10 years and 4 years old enjoyed it so much.

K. S.

Great place, we went underground and experienced what people were doing 100+ years ago for goldmine. Interesting story told in words suitable for both kids and adults. Even our 5 and 7 yr old enjoyed it. The machine was turned on, super loud and exciting for kids. We fully enjoyed our experience.

G. F.

Excellent guided tour. Phil was a fantastic guide; incredibly knowledgeable and approachable. The whole place is run by volunteers so tour price is more than reasonable. Working machinery and demonstrations should keep adults and kids alike entertained.

M. J. R.

Good place to learn about goldmine history but price is quite expensive for the whole experience.

P. F.

Thoroughly enjoyed this very indepth guided tour of this goldmine, thank you.

Amazing experience, good to see some old mines. Such harsh conditions people used to work in.

F. S.

What a great experience and the knowledge of our guide was amazing. He made the tour interesting and I learnt alot, not only about the gold mining error but the history of the town of Thames itself. Well worth the $20. Totally recommend for all the family.

D. S.

Excellent. Great mix of presented information and working exhibits. Needs a big govt fund to get it where it should be - as a Historic Attraction of National Importance. Fantastic work by the volunteers.

M. K.

The website said we could do a self guided visit, but the unexpected guided visit was awesome. Our experienced tour guide told the story from beginning to end about the mines and the story behind it and the city of Thames. We entered into the real tunnels and we know how people sacrificed their lives for the sake of gold. There is a room with a video telling the story from 1950 perspective. It costs $15 per adult and $5 per kid. A bit pricey, but worth every penny.

C. R.

Facility 2 a bit of a mixed bag. Rundown and dirty. To be expected when fronted by volunteers. Service 2 disorganized. Stood around waiting for someone (a tour was already going on). Need a booking system. Tour was ok. Mine is low ceiling so not great if over 6' . Not ideal for small kids. Nice to see the stamper in action. Guide was knowledgeable. Price 3 average value for what it is. Summary the Gold Experience in Waihi is 10x better. More money but you get what you pay for.

R. G.

An Awesome place to visit. Loved going through the mine tunnels. Especially loved the Ol Battery Stamper. First time I have ever panned for gold. The Man taking the tour was a Hreat Bloke too. A Heap of knowledge.

J. L. S.

Great experience to see this ancient goldmine. Few tunnels are still open. Inside tunnel has approximately 5ft as height so if you are taller than that you might need to keep your head down.

N. M.

So today I learned so much about gold mining in Thames, the guide we had on our tour was really knowledgeable and funny. The walk through the old mine was quite thrilling and authentic and the machinery was a marvel to watch.

M. Z. M. A.

Historical place, good for kids.

T. H.

Awesome to experience something a bit different. Great value for money. Guide was lovely and really knew his stuff and definitely had a passion for the trade which helps make learning about these things more enjoyable

L. J.

Great experience to see the old gold mine especially with a guided tour. Very informative, history was well explained by the guide.

B. A.

Our 11 & 12 year Minecraft mad kids loved the tour down into the mineshaft and all the other cool gear and tales the volunteer guides shared with us. Very special place -highly recommend it!

J. O.

Great tour, only $15 per adult, went into a goldmine from the 1800's, panned for gold and saw a stamper battery, historic photos and video, gold mining equipment. Worth the visit

R. S.

Well worth a visit and a great example of how industrial history museums should be run. A great insight into the glory days of the Thames Goldfield, with lots of working machinery to see.

J. P.

Very interesting hearing and actually experiencing how it was in 1860s mining and processing quartz to find gold, thousands of ounces were pulled from the very mine you get to tour through.

L. M.

Interesting tour with a knowledgeable and very friendly guide. Inside the mine is lovely and cool, and the panning for gold is fun for the adults and kids.

J. F. V.

Fantastic experience a great deal of effort had gone into an authentic reconstruction of the old mining workings and then a walk through the old mine tunnel A must visit

F. M.

Run and renovated by passionate volunteers, this place is perfect if you want to understand gold mining history in a short time. There are historical tools / pictures, they take you for a short -but great- tour in the mine, and it finishes by the gold-extracting machines running for real for a minute. It's right by the road so accessible for anyone who can't / doesn't want to walk.

C. C.

The tour was interesting and the guides very knowledgeable. Even had a go at gold panning!

J. A.

A great piece of local history. The most lovely tour guide in the world.

L. L.

Experience the tough life decades ago and value today's opportunity.

Fantastic experience, guide was awesome, explained everything really well, thoroughly enjoyed this! Would highly recommend :-)

M. S.

The DVD player needs replacing or doing away with altogether! That documentary meterial could sit on a hard drive and be casted to the screen. Battery was good. Steam engines worked

K. D.

Very good tour learnt alot and definitely worth the money!

C. H.

We enjoyed our visit to the goldmine experience. We learnt a heap about the mining of gold in the Thames area and myself and the kids enjoyed the short walk through the mine tunnel. The panning for gold was a fun extra and we came away with a few flecks of gold from it. A bit boring for smaller children but older kids and adults will be more entertained.

W. S.

Quite welcoming. The tour itself is not that big. The first part takes you to see workshop running, second part takes you to see the mining tunnels and the last part is the self guided tour around the site. My favourite part is definitely the tunnel. I think is worth the visit for only one time.

K. P.

Extremely interesting. Well worth a visit.

Amazing pieces of gold mining history hold in this hidden gem all maintained by a group of lovely, friendly volunteers. This is definetly a MUST do if you are in the area. Shame it is not advertised more because this is a great experience.

J. R.

It was an awesome experience. Looking around, reading some history, a really exciting tour under the ground (mines) but the best part of the tour was when the guy started the big machines, like a real "gold rush" time. Really great experience.

Interesting insight to gold mining and the conditions they worked under

M. H.

Great fun, value for money.. Very friendly and very informative

An excellent interactive and knowledgible historical experience, tour an open mine and listen to the stamper battery in All Surround sound to top in off by panning for gold.

R. B.

This was so cool!! When I checked this place out online first, I didn't know you got a guided tour, so it was super cool to be properly shown around the place and told about everything that happened here back in the day. It was VERY interesting, I loved it!

Great experience! Must visit!

The DVD player needs replacing or doing away with altogether! That documentary meterial could sit on a hard drive and be casted to the screen. …

It was an awesome experience. Looking around, reading some history, a really exciting tour under the ground (mines) but the best part of the tour was when the guy started the big machines, …

Very good. Excellent guides. Interesting with some interaction involved. Fun. Worth seeing.

Well worth the visit

Good to see history ... not a lot to see though

This was great. A must if you visit Thames!! I must admit I wasn't that keen to go but so pleased I did.

L. F.

It was a short mine visit, tour guide lady was helpful. Could have made more interesting.

V. G.

Great experience! Must visit!

P. C.

Highly recommended place for gold mining experience.

A great guide shared his personal family history with local history of the mine. The machinery is kept going by volunteer enthusiasts. Well worth the 15 NZD entrance fee that contributes to the upkeep.

P. C.

Absolutely loved this mini tour. Janet was so informative. Definately worth a visit 😁 Thank you

r. a. c. a.

Guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. Gave a fabulous tour for 15 00 pp well worth the money thankyou for not costing an arm and a leg.

N. H.

A sign at the entrance to the town of Thames announces: "Our heritage is gold"; the Thames Gold Mine Experience explains why. Plan to spend about an hour at the three-part experience, beginning with a historic film showing miners at work in 1949, only a few years before the last gold mine in the area closed for good. Next you don a hard hat and enter the mine shaft for a short guided tour (which can be a little muddy, so wear appropriate shoes), and finally you see a demonstration of how the rock-crushing machinery works. You're also free to wander around the grounds and even try panning for gold (but don't expect to see much that glitters). Our guide was knowledgeable and friendly, and it was interesting ro learn about how the mines affected the development of the area. Definitely worth a visit.

A great place to spend a couple of hours. I particularly liked the underground experience of the mine. Kids will love panning for gold and our guide was very knowledgeable and had a great way of getting information across. There is decent parking too.

B. T.

Very good. Excellent guides. Interesting with some interaction involved. Fun. Worth seeing.

4. G.

Great mine experience with great history seeing the battery operate. Guide was very knowledgeable

F. M.

Enjoyable and well guided visit. Exciting to see and hear the stamping machinery.

M. L. T.

Great tour, Carl was very knowledgable and made it interesting. Learning about the mining methods then and now was eye opening. Cheers Carl

Great experience with knowledgeable guide

G. W.

This was great. A must if you visit Thames!! I must admit I wasn't that keen to go but so pleased I did.

b. b.

It was a short mine visit, tour guide lady was helpful. Could have made more interesting.

E. T.

Would 100% recommend this to anyone passing through. The people who run the place are awesome and make for and interesting fun tour

J. C.

Absolutely awesome experience. The guide is so passionate and has a family history with the place. I never appreciated Thames until now. Will definately be back!

I went here on a rainy day in Thames. It was great!! The lady who was working that day was really knowledgable. Happy to answer a lot of my questions. I wish I could remeber her name to thank her. (Your sons a geologist im Australia) Really showed the start to finish process. It was a great look at history. Would recomend. For $12 such good value for money. Thanks!

Interesting tour through the mine, collection of old buildings, and old machinery. The kids all loved the gold panning.

h. g.

Top notch, well worth a visit if you like history 👍

Great to peep into the past at this historic gold mining. Got lucky to find the steam engine operational which happens only 3 to 4 times a year!

M. v.

My kids loved the goldmine. It is run by nice volunteers, small scale and they are restoring all the old machinery. Kids loved panning for gold and taking some gold and minerals home./

J. M.

Brief nice guided tour. All together takes 20-30 minutes. Worth to stop in along roadtrip

P. M.

Very informative and educational insight into the working practices of the late 1800s provided by an enthusiastic volunteer. Did those miners earn their money!!

O. C.

Interestingly fun and educational, amazing to learn what people back then had to go through to get that small mineral worth thousands

K. F.

Great views an excellent walks through cave's, an over swing bridges

R. M.

Outstanding place to visit. Tour guide was so knowledgeable you should visit this place if you get a chance

G. M.

A very interesting personalised tour of the mine by knowledgeable volunteers. Well worth the entry fee. Also a great explanation and demo of the mining equipment

P. H.

Fantastic museum, friendly and very staff, volunteers have done an amazing job, the working machinery - super impressive and noisy ( great headphone) - Highly Recommend

N. B.

Excellent well worth it loved the tour and when the stamper was fired up you really got a feel for how it must hav been! Hats off to our guide thanks for your time and info Cheers

The guided tour was very well done. The history of the area is incredible and the tour guide knew his stuff. The area you self guide yourself through before the guided tour is atrocious though. Completely run down and dusty. There was also spiders and a cockroach in the toliet

An amazing experience really enjoy the tour..

J. T.

D. M.

Lively visit with the grandkids great guide

R. M.

Great experience for kids, they loved panning for gold. Thank you, keeping history like this alive is vital.

A. V.

Great place...wonderful guide Carl. Who had his work cut out with the big crowd...worth a visit and will come again.

W. Z.

Great goldmine great experience lots of service long tunnels do you know the part that is closed you should make a video in there because I want to know what's in there looks interesting.

W. L.

Great place great experience

Well worth the visit

I highly recommend it.

Good to see history ... not a lot to see though

S. S.

Wonderful little experience, great tour guide. Very informative

An amazing experience really enjoy the tour..

M. N.

Knowledgeable guides, activated the stamper, clear explanations, worth visiting, we went with our U3A group, thank you guides for good organisation

C. E.

Great place, very interesting - especially the walk through the gold mine.

K. F.

The tour was awesome and the volunteers were lovely and very knowledgeable.

R. J.

A bit of an adventure, going underground into an old mine tunnel. Watching all the old machinery working was impressive.

Its aight

T. T. M.

Great atmosphere close to the sea hills she's a town full of history and some wonderfully out there people

C. G.

This is a great piece of NZ Goldming history. The lecture and visit under ground was awesome.

T. W.

Really interesting guidance on how to get the gold out of the rock. First time they ran on steam!

C. W.

Brilliant insight into Thames mining past. Well done the volunteers!

B. M.

Great price of $15 pp, amazing tour guide, highly recommended

Can't go wrong with history. Always amazing standing amongst such times.

S. S.

Staff are so knowledgeable and friendly. Loved the tour

G. B.

Had a great day with the kids here!

R. R.

This place is great for kids and adults and got to leave with the gold we found panning 🤠

A genuine working example of period underground mining & relayed historical artifacts.

S. K.

Great experience and great to tour. Nice people doing sights.

A. T.

Great experience with a very knowledgeable and helpful tour guide.

Fantastic working mine a must do the guide was very good

S. A. L. W.

No panning for gold in a river, just a water trough - disappointed.

R. A.

Excellent presentation with good working machines.

S. R.

Very fun experience, lots of local information

M. a. T.

Carl C was a wonderful tour host. Full of knowledge

Awesome history and really enjoyed the experience

C. K.

History which leads on

Travelled down from Auckland for shory day trip with the kids, it was wonderful.

A. A. P.

Kids loved it..suited for 8 yrs above

J. F.

Cool experience going into the mine. Interesting history behind the gathering of gold.

S. G.

Enjoyed the gold panning and Goldmine walk through, quite interesting

Well worth the price... Got to see the mining equipment & experience a real underground mine...

Lively visit with the grandkids great guide

Very knowledgeable guides make a good tour.

J. F.

Great experience, loads of history

B. M.

Guided tour of mine was worth the admission fee.

T. G.

Exceptional slice of the history of gold mining in Thames.

r. r.

awesome experience and history love it.

J. P.

We got there at 1pm to be told it was closed for the day rather disappointing winter hours (November) 10am to 1pm

O. D.

A very wholesome kiwi experience. With awesome staff!

E. S.

A little bit old fashioned but interesting.

l. e.

This is a must see , got to visit a experience

Good to go through mine and see it in action.

Mr whippy has good ice cream.

Great staff. Very interesting

J. T.

Knowledgeable and good sense of humour

Great place great experience

Nice experience for educational purposes

Very interesting even paned for gold

Friendly staff and a must visit when in Thames

B. H.

Ok cool

Awesome place to visit

M. M.

Fun for all ages

The guide was knowledgeable

Very interesting

P. M.

Great volunteers.

It is ok

M. B.

Awesome

Good to visit informative

Worth a look and see

Great

OK and interesting

Very interesting

Great adventure

D. P.

Grest for tourist

Interesting!

K. H.

Closed for maintenance...

B. C.

Awesome place

interesting

(Translated) Great guided tour through the tunnel including commissioning of an old stone crushing machine. Highly recommended! (Original) Tolle Führung durch den Stollen inkl. Inbetriebnahme einer alten Stein Zerkleinerungsmaschine. Sehr empfehlenswert!

(Translated) Simple but very interesting for adults and children. The machinery still works. Speak french english and german (Original) Simple mais très intéressant pour les grands et les petits. La machinerie fonctionne toujours. Parle français anglais et allemand

(Translated) Fuhrer speaks very quickly and not clearly enough. Group to lead in the tunnel was too large. Take a flashlight with you (Original) Führer spricht sehr schnell und nicht klar genug. Gruppe für die Führung in den Stollen war zu groß. Taschenlampe mitnehmen

(Translated) Great place! Nice that history is preserved in this way. A must do! (Original) Geweldige plek! Mooi dat de geschiedenis op deze manier bewaard blijft. Een Must do!