Paeroa
| Paeroa | |
|---|---|
| Minor urban area | |
 Paeroa
|
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| Coordinates: 37°22′30″S 175°40′00″E / 37.37500°S 175.66667°ECoordinates: 37°22′30″S 175°40′00″E / 37.37500°S 175.66667°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Waikato |
| Territorial authority | Hauraki District |
| Elevation | 15 m (49 ft) |
| Population (June 2016) | |
| • Total | 4,350 |
| Postcode(s) | 3600 |
Paeroa is a small town in New Zealand, in the northern Waikato region of the Thames Valley. Located at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula, it is close to the junction of the Waihou and Ohinemuri Rivers, 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) from the coast at the Firth of Thames. The population is 3900.
Paeroa is known for its mineral springs, which used to provide the water used in a local soft drink, Lemon & Paeroa.
Captain James Cook explored the Waihou River in 1779, taking a long-boat up as far as Netherton, just a couple of miles from where the town of Paeroa was built 100 years on.
The area was briefly explored in October 1826 by Captain James Herd, in command of the Lambton and the Isabella (or Rosanna). Herd was sent on an exploratory mission by the first organisation to be known as the New Zealand Company and claimed to have bought one million acres (400,000 ha) of land from local Māori in Hokianga and Manukau.
By 1869, anticipating the rush to the Ohinemuri Goldfields, considerable numbers of miners camped at Cashell’s Landing "Puke".
In 1870, Asher Casserels, a Lithuanian, leased the block of land known as Paeroa from Māori. This included Primrose Hill and most of what is now the town centre.
When James Mackay (surveyor) and Sir David McLean (Minister of Mines) completed negotiations six years later with the Māori Chiefs, Tukukino and Taraia, the fields were declared open. Six hundred miners rushed to Karangahake, considered to be the El Dorado, on March 3, 1875. A canvas town of 1,600 people with about 20 stores and grog shops set the area going. The big gold reefs like Talisman and Crown were discovered but proved hard to work. Heavy machinery required for hard quartz mining had to be brought via the Waihou River and up to Paeroa. The river was the only highway and with two shipping companies in operation, Paeroa became a thriving transport and distribution centre.
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Wikipedia