Thames

The next day we drove across to Thames - the commercial town for the Coromandel, but as it was Sunday most of the shops were shut - a typical small town in NZ.






Our first stop off was to a tropical butterfly and orchid garden. There were hundreds of butterflies of various colours.












We then headed to the Gold Mine Experience - an old gold mine now run by enthusiasts hoping to find a rich vein of gold and make their millions. At the moment it is a non profit making enterprise.







The tour included a trip down the mine and through some of the old tunnels - we didn't find any gold. Fortunately we didn't have to go down the mine shaft in the old mine carts and lift...