Waiorongomai Valley has many old goldmining sites and the Piako County Tramway built in 1882-83. It is New Zealand's oldest known railway with the original rail still in place. It was built to support a historic gold mining site, and features three self-acting inclines, of which Butlers Incline is 400m long and at a steep 25o angle.
The area has a number of other historic sites to explore following old mining trails.
See the website for access and walking track details.
Image: Equipment at Hardies Mine.
