Fun time in Waihi…. the little town with a heart of gold
Yesterday Waihi shook off its small town image
Seddon Street Waihi, the little town with a heart of gold
People dress up for the Beach Hop…the late summer event that sets the Coromandel alight.
It was a carnival of colour and nostalgia when the cars and the people came to town to celebrate the Pre-Beach Hop.
old timers remember their glory days
The Beach Hop happens in Whangamata every year and Waihi is on the road to that town and have capatalised on the event. Cars come to Waihi on the Wednesday before the big event. People dress up in fifities costumes, there is a drag queen race up the main street and our little town takes on a carnival atmosphere.
Drag queens get ready to race up the main street
Its a day of fun and frivolity for young and old alike.
The old guys tell stories of their glory days and the young ones dream of what it must have been like when those vehicles and clothes were new and fresh.
When I grow up…Little Leo dreams
Waihi is a town with a great history. It was built around the Martha goldmine…once one of the biggest underground goldmines in the Southern Hemisphere. Parts of the mine have great names like the “Milking Cow”.
The museum has relics of these days…even a padded cell for deranged people!
Visitors dress for the occasion in all sorts of costumes.
People dress up for the Beach Hop…the late summer event that sets the Coromandel alight.
In the background is the historic Cornish Pump House that was shifted from it’s original site to the centre of town. It was used when the Martha Goldmine was an underground mine and not the open cast pit of today
Vehicles on display range from T birds to the vintage and there is something for everyone.
Tags: beach hop, carnival, drag queen race, featured, Waihi. The little town with a heart of gold
Published on Thursday, March 21st, 2013, under Latest News
Hi Shirley,
I’ve never heard of this, but it looks lots of fun! Love those old cars!