Thames NZ....

Today we left Auckland and traveled to Thames via the coast road passing through Miranda. Unfortunately the weather was terrible and once reaching Miranda there was little hope of seeing any wildlife.

Thames is located on the Firth of Thames close to the mouth of the Waihou River. It was built during the gold rush era from 1868 to 1871 and was the largest centre of population in New Zealand at the time. Today it's the biggest town on the Coromandel. 

The WW1 memorial was unveiled 25 April 1925. It's a tall octagonal concrete column and to date it has 316 names of those who served. The view from the memorial is outstanding looking out to sea or over the township. 

The Band Rotunda in Victoria Park was opened on 10th November 1902. A grand celebration was held with many townsfolk listening to the local band playing in the new rotunda. I believe it's still used today which is great. It's listed as a Historic Place Category 2.

We enjoyed a lovely wander walking mum's cousins dogs, Bibi and Honey as the sun began to set.

Special times with family :)

Happy Tuesday everyone :)

PS: Enjoying reliving these memories from our North Island trip in August 2018 with this backblip :)