Maratoto is a valley and rural community in the

Hauraki District Hauraki District is a territorial authority within the Hauraki region of New Zealand. The seat of the council is at Paeroa. The area covered by the district extends from the southwest coast of the Firth of Thames southeast towards Te Aroha, alth ...

and

Waikato Waikato () is a Regions of New Zealand, local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton City ...

region of New Zealand's

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

, north of

Paeroa Paeroa is a town in the Hauraki District of the Waikato Region in the North Island of New Zealand. Located at the base of the Coromandel Peninsula, it is close to the junction of the Waihou River and Ohinemuri River, and is approximately 20 kilo ...

. The valley extends up to the Coromandel Forest Park, which has a network of walking tracks.

History

Early history

''Maratoto'' is a

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

word meaning "the rock of blood". It refers to a Māori legend about a group of warriors who were cornered on a rocky pinnacle in the valley, and flung themselves over the bank to avoid being captured. By the 19th century,

Ngāti Tamaterā Ngāti Tamaterā is a Māori '' iwi'' (tribe) of the Hauraki region of New Zealand, descended from Tamaterā, the second son of Marutūāhu. It is a major tribe within the Marutūāhu confederation and its leaders have been prominent in Hauraki ...

had established a ''

pā The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive terraces – and also to fortified villages. Pā sites o ...

'' on the banks of the Maratoto Stream. It was called Hikutaia, which translates as "the end of the tide". European settlers arrived in the area in the mid-19th century, most of the from Ireland. A small settlement sprung up around the Pioneer Hotel, which provided accommodation and alcohol for gold-miners passing through by stage coach. Gum-diggers cleared much of the local

Kauri ''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of 22 species of evergreen tree. The genus is part of the ancient conifer family Araucariaceae, a group once widespread during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, but now largely res ...

forest, and a local butcher set up a shop inside the hollow interior of an enormous kauri stump. A telegraph line was completed 1872, ending the need for messages to be couriered to other settlements. A Englishman pig-hunter discovered gold in the area while wrestling a pig into the creek. Richard McBrinn made a further gold discovery in the area in 1987; the McBrinn Creek is named after him. Many people came to the area to mine gold and silver, including unusual characters like the South American Black Doctor. A

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

gold-mining syndicate operated a mining company in the valley between 1888 and 1891. Their find was credible, but it was processed at a loss due to the cost of developing the site. An Auckland syndicated established a company n the valley in 1898, installing a 15 head stamp battery and cyanide plant. It received Government funding and crushed ore for neighbouring mines.

Modern history

The mine closed in 1927 and is now abandoned. Rock-climbers began visiting the area in the 1970s, and climbing routes began to be permanently mapped in 1996. Remnants of old mines, an old telephone line, and a fence from an old cattle holding pen can still be found in the valley.

Facilities and attractions

Three tracks are accessible via Coromandel Forest Park: * Maratoto Wires Track follows the old telephone track through the valley, and takes about three hours one way. Part of the track is used by

four wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

rs, with restrictions in place to stop the spread of

Kauri dieback Kauri dieback is a forest dieback disease of the native kauri trees (''Agathis australis'') of New Zealand that is suspected to be caused by the oomycete ''Phytophthora agathidicida.'' Symptoms can include root rot and associated rot in a col ...

. The track includes slippery clay, a steep incline, and an exposed summit at the top of the ridge. * Golden Cross Track connects with the Wires Track and goes through a regenerating forest in an old mining and farming area. * The Maratoto to Wentworth Crossing is a five-hour walk for experienced trampers, connecting to the Wentworth Falls Walk, Wentworth Valley and

Whangamatā The town of Whangamatā is on the southeast coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 30 kilometres north of Waihi, to the north of the western extremity of the Bay of Plenty. In holiday times the popu ...

on the eastern side of the park. There are 11 climbing routes. The routes are mostly suited to sport climbing, with lots of exposure and views.

References

{{coord, -37.2934653, 175.7086774, display=title, region:NZ_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Hauraki District Populated places in Waikato Valleys of New Zealand