Maratoto

Maratoto is a valley and rural community in the Hauraki District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island, north of Paeroa.

The valley extends up to the Coromandel Forest Park, which has a network of walking tracks.^[1]

Maratoto is a Māori 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.^[2]

By the 19th century, Ngāti Tamaterā had established a pā on the banks of the Maratoto Stream. It was called Hikutaia, which translates as "the end of the tide".^[2]

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 forest, and a local butcher set up a shop inside the hollow interior of an enormous kauri stump.^[2]

A telegraph line was completed 1872, ending the need for messages to be couriered to other settlements.^[3]

An Englishman pig-hunter discovered gold in the area while wrestling a pig into the creek.^[2] Richard McBrinn made a further gold discovery in the area in 1987; the McBrinn Creek is named after him.^[4]

Many people came to the area to mine gold and silver, including unusual characters like the South American Black Doctor.^[2]

A New South Wales 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.^[4]

An Auckland syndicated established a company in the valley in 1898, installing a 15 head stamp battery and cyanide plant. It received Government funding and crushed ore for neighbouring mines.^[4]

The mine closed in 1927 and is now abandoned.^[4]

Rock-climbers began visiting the area in the 1970s, and climbing routes began to be permanently mapped in 1996.^[5]

Remnants of old mines, an old telephone line, and a fence from an old cattle holding pen can still be found in the valley.^[1]

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.^[1] Part of the track is used by four wheel drivers, with restrictions in place to stop the spread of Kauri dieback.^[6] The track includes slippery clay, a steep incline, and an exposed summit at the top of the ridge.^[3]
• Golden Cross Track connects with the Wires Track and goes through a regenerating forest in an old mining and farming area.^[7]
• The Maratoto to Wentworth Crossing is a five-hour walk for experienced trampers, connecting to the Wentworth Falls Walk, Wentworth Valley and Whangamatā on the eastern side of the park.^[8]

There are 11 climbing routes.^[5] The routes are mostly suited to sport climbing, with lots of exposure and views.^[9]

37°17′36″S 175°42′31″E / 37.2934653°S 175.7086774°E / -37.2934653; 175.7086774