Did you know you can go trout fishing in Thames? We explored the Hikutaia River this long weekend – and yes we took our fishing rods (and licenses)!

Hikutaia is south of Thames on State Highway 26 and is the southern border of the Thames Ward. The Hikutaia River flows west from the Coromandel Ranges and into the Waihou River.

The Māori translation of Hikutaia is 1. Tail (hiku) of the eel (taia) (after a rare and large eel, regarded as a taniwha) and 2. The headwaters at neap tide.

When Ngāti Hako were driven off the lands during their conflict with the Marutūahu tribes, the Ngāto Tamaterā chiefs granted them asylum in Ō-Hinemuri, and laid down the Hikutaia River as the line of demarcation to not cross.

The Hikutaia River passes Maratoto (Māori translation – blood-soaked ground), a shark-tooth-like peak that became the last bastion of defence for a handful of Ngāti Hako warriors. They scaled the summit but found themselves outnumbered, so cast themselves over the precipice in despair.

Gold was discovered in the Maratoto in 1873. The prospector Richard McBrinn made the first major strike. McBrinn sold to the Mt Cecil Company who built a ten head stamper battery. After the company abandoned the site, the claim was taken over by Harold Sparke (see photo above) who continued to work the mine until the 1970s. Sparke was a great character, whose hut door was always open to visitors.

In the 1880s, gold was said to be discovered south of Maratoto in the Waitekauri area by the mysterious Mexican character – ‘The Black Doctor of Maratoto’. He claimed to have come across a waterfall of quartz rich with gold as he was fossiking and got lost in the woods. He lost his nugget on the way home and tried to find the location again, but in his search perished.

Sixteen years later, in 1892, the Lowrie brothers discovered a reef that became the Golden Cross mine at Waitekauri. It was rich in both gold and silver, especially where it outcropped, and it evidently matched the Black Doctor’s description of his find. Legend has it that the Black Doctor’s skeleton was found on a rocky ledge near the reef in 1895.

The Golden Cross mine, operated from 1895-1920 before closing. A new seam was discovered and was reopened in 1991 getting good returns, until it was forced to close with mine under the toxic tailings dam at risk of collapse.

There are several DoC walks and 4×4 tracks in the area. The Old Wires Track runs along an old telegraph wire built in 1872 before returning down a loop track. Experienced trampers can continue through to Wentworth Valley, Whangamata, which was the final link in the Auckland-Invercargill Telegraph network. Another walk leads from Maratoto to the old Golden Cross mine. Check the DoC website for current track updates or closures.

Climbing Maratoto itself is a renowned challenge, attempted by the most experienced climbers. The first climbing occurred in the 1970s, however there is very little detail about who did this route. The crag was rediscovered by Dean Maxwell in 1996 and with the help of John van der Warff the pair set about clearing a track, cutting steps, cleaning rock and placing over 200 bolts. The crag faces southwest so gets the late afternoon sun.

Today Hikutaia is a sleepy rural town along the Hauraki Rail Trail. Be sure to stop at the The Convenient Cow Cafe for any nourishments before heading up the valley. Here you’ll find beautiful fresh-water swimming holes and remnants of the old gold mining and quarry operations.

We spent our weekend exploring the river bed, swimming and searching for the elusive Coromandel Rainbow trout, which we found, and released back into the Hikutaia for another day. (See photo above).

It turns out that the Hikutaia Rver is a great spot for fishing in Thames – not only are there trout, but there’s swimming, history and great natural beauty.