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Reports......Thames
Township Walkway
Date: 26 July 2009
Leader: Marlene Lynam
On one of winter’s better days, 19 trampers headed for Thames to
explore the town. Starting at the southern end, our first port of
call was Shortland Wharf built in 1868 during the gold era and still
functioning today. Then onto the 3.5km Thames Coastal Walkway which
closely follows the picturesque Firth of Thames foreshore, passing
behind Goldfields Shopping Centre and a quick visit to the bird hide
amongst the mangroves. Along the way, we stopped at Grahamstown
Railway Station for morning tea, where Liz treated herself to a
train ride on the Small Gauge Railway which operates most Sundays.
Continuing along the walkway, we rounded a corner to be greeted with
a charming and photogenic sight - the remains of Burke Street Wharf,
built in 1900 and once the main passenger and cargo wharf for
Thames. We followed the sea wall around to Kuranui Bay, then a
beach/road walk north to Tararu (passing a local art society shop
was too much of a temptation for some – hey, this is supposed to be
a tramping trip) where yours truly decided a “short easy bush walk”
was warranted to help fill in the day. Getting more than we
bargained on, we climbed higher and higher until we reached a
viewpoint with superb views out over Firth of Thames, then having to
contend with a steep slippery descent with the track ending at
Dicksons Holiday Park in Tararu. Sorry Allan!
We returned to Kuranui Bay and headed up Monument Road to our next
port of call, the World War 1 War Memorial which overlooks the town.
Here we met up with Elisabeth again and had a well deserved lunch.
Ducking down a bush track and into some of Thames’ back streets, we
arrived at the restored Bella Street Pumphouse, now a museum. This
building was erected to house the Big Pump which served all the
mines at the northern end of the Thames’ flats. Built in 1897-98,
the pump was erected on massive concrete foundations. Merv Grafton,
who has played a big part in restoring the pumphouse and its relics,
guided us on an interesting tour through the building.
A final walk along Pollen Street back to the cars ended a sunny day
in the historic town of Thames.
Marlene Lynam
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