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Thames

SummaryBrief history of Thames, with links to related people and collections, as well as maps, postcards, images, and historic newspaper articles in our archive collections.
Main Body

Thames or Pārāwai is a town at the southwestern end of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand's North Island. It is located on the Firth of Thames close to the mouth of the Waihou River. The town is the seat of the Thames-Coromandel District Council. The Māori iwi are Ngāti Maru, who are descendants of Marutuahu's son Te Ngako. Ngāti Maru is part of the Ngati Marutuahu confederation of tribes or better known as Hauraki Iwi.

Thames was formed from two historic towns, Grahamstown and Shortland, of which many original buildings still stand. Shortland was to the south of Thames and was founded in 1867. Grahamstown was founded the following year at the northern end of present Thames, approximately one mile from Shortland. The two towns merged in 1874.

The town was initially built during a gold rush, with the first major discovery of gold being made on 10 August 1867 by William Hunt, in the Kuranui Stream at the north end of Thames. The era from 1868 to 1871 were the bonanza years for the town with gold production topping one million pounds sterling at its peak.

Thames had an estimated population of 15,000 in 1870, but this declined to 4,500 in 1881, and it has increased modestly since. It is still the biggest town on the Coromandel Peninsula.

SourcesWikipedia: Thames, New Zealand » Wikipedia contributors. (2025, September 19). Thames, New Zealand. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 23:48, September 21, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thames,_New_Zealand&oldid=1312214033

Map

Map shewing the line of Posts established between the Firth of Thames and the Mangatawhiri River

Sketch map of Thames gold fields, shewing proclaimed gold fields, native blocks etc.

Rough sketch map of the Thames goldfield, shewing the several schemes proposed to supply the field with water

Sketch map of the proposed Thames and Waikato railway, accompanying Mr. Simpson's report

Plan of Te Aroha purchase, Upper Thames, Auckland Provincial District

Thames County: cadastral map

Thames: topographical map.

Firth of Thames: hydrographic chart

Thames; Morrinsville; Matamata; Te Aroha; Waihi; Paeroa: street map

Newspaper Article

Illustrated London News 1853 vol.23 page 465

Illustrated London News 1862 vol.41 page 401

Illustrated London News 1865 vol.46 page 32

Illustrated London News 1868 vol.53 page 235

Illustrated London News 1869 vol.55 page 305

Illustrated London News 1869 vol.55 page 300

Illustrated London News 1871 vol.59 page 519

Items (Archive)

Waiotahi Mine, Thames

Otanui Creek, Thames

Thames

The interior of a typical quartz crushing machine. Thames Goldfield from Illustrated London News

Log Hauler Judd's Foundry Thames

View of Grahamstown from the lover's walk

Collection (Archive)

G.T. Wilkinson diaries

Stories (Person)

George Thomas Wilkinson

Thames township, circa 1870s. Ref: 1/2-021881-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/22703212

Relates to

Subject (keywords)Thames-Coromandel District (N.Z.) -- MapsThames-Coromandel (N.Z.) -- HistoryGold mines and mining -- New Zealand -- HistoryHuke

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