The Coromandel Gold Rush

For over a century, the abandoned mines, rusting machinery and bush-clad valleys of the Coromandel have quietly guarded one of New Zealand's most remarkable stories. This documentary explores the rise of the Thames Gold Rush, from the discovery that transformed a small settlement into New Zealand's largest goldfield, to the engineering marvels that made deep quartz mining possible. Along the way, we visit the historic Bella Street Pumphouse, the remarkable Victoria Battery, and uncover the stories of the miners whose determination helped shape New Zealand. Every location featured was visited and filmed on location, with historical accounts cross-referenced against museum collections, contemporary newspaper reports and published research. My goal was simple: to tell the story of the Coromandel goldfields as accurately and authentically as possible while showcasing the extraordinary heritage that still survives today. A very special thank you to Thames Goldmine Experience, Thames Museum, and the dedicated volunteers at the Bella Street Pumphouse. Your generosity, knowledge, hospitality and passion for preserving this history made this documentary possible. Finally, thank you. The support on my last documentary quite literally helped fund this project. Every view, comment, like and share genuinely makes a difference, allowing independent documentaries like this to continue being made. Chapters 00:00 The Gold That Changed New Zealand 01:02 The Discovery of Gold at Thames 03:05 How the Thames Gold Rush Began 06:05 Inside a Thames Gold Mine 08:30 Life Underground 10:52 Accidents, Hardship & Survival 13:15 Bella Street Pumphouse 15:12 The Engineering That Saved the Mines 17:05 Victoria Battery – Industrial Gold Processing 19:20 Crushing Quartz & Recovering Gold 21:05 The Noise That Never Stopped 22:40 The Black Doctor Mystery 24:47 Why the Coromandel Gold Rush Still Matters Historical References Research for this documentary included material from: • Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand • Papers Past – National Library of New Zealand • The New Zealand Official Yearbooks (historic mining statistics) • Local histories, museum collections and published works relating to the Hauraki-Coromandel goldfields Archival Photography & Historical Collections • National Library of New Zealand Collections • Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections • Thames Museum Archives • Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand 📍 Filmed on location throughout the Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand. #Thames #ThamesGoldRush #Coromandel #CoromandelGoldfields #NewZealandHistory #GoldRush #GoldMining #MiningHistory #HistoryDocumentary #Documentary #VictoriaBattery #BellaStreetPumphouse #ThamesMuseum #ThamesGoldmineExperience #Heritage #NewZealandTravel #HistoricalDocumentary