Page 24 - 00 Volume 5 The Mine

And why wasn't the coal won before? Consider "The occurrence of numerous fires and disturbances
the Inspector's report presented to the due to the crushing of the pillars caused serious monetary
House of Representatives in 1925 for the year loss to the mine owners, and in the interest of those
1924: concerned it is to be hoped that other approaches will be
"Taupiri Extended Colliery - On 11th April 1924, considered in the near future for the development of this
coal production at this colliery was suspended after extensive coalfield."
being in continuous operation for a period of thirty- It wasn't in the near future, it was nearly 50 years
five years. A total output of 3,101,604 tons of superior before the seams were mined again as the East (Kimihia)
brown coal was obtained solely from the bords and Mine.
headings of the first working. On 27th June, the West
District, embracing Nos 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 sections was sealed Mr Hall, father of first-day enrollees Ernie and
off with substantial brick stoppings at a point below the Archie, worked six days a week at the mine and
entrance to No. 1 section. walked over the old scrub track over the hills to
Taupiri and on to Ngaruawahia to break in his farm
"These stopping were erected to isolate the disturbed on Saturday evenings to tramp back on Sunday
crushed and fire affected sections from the No. 1
development dip headings, which were at that time being evenings.
vigorously extended to develop a large unworked area In the 1890's coal was discovered in large
between the west and north sections. A system of amounts on the eastern side of the lake and later it
hydraulic end filling of the bords in the northern section was discovered that the seam ran under the lake
had been adopted by the company as a means to arrest a itself. In 1895 the underground miners drilled an
creeping movement already commenced in No. 5 section exploratory shaft down through the island in the
north, and to subsequently provide for the practicable lake. This island no longer exists as so much spoil
working of the top seam and future extraction of pillars. was dumped around it from the mine that is
Operations were in progress to flush the bords with sand became surrounded by dry land.
when an unlocated fire broke out on the 25th July
supposedly to have originated in the bords at No. 5 section The Taupiri Coal Mining Company started
where the crushing movement had commenced. mining and drove shafts into the hills. Lucy, a
Clydesdale horse, was remembered as the perfect
"The volume of smoke issuing from the fire precluded pulling horse, pulling 8-10 trucks at a time from
all efforts to attack and suppress the outbreak or surround it the mine to Kimihia Station. The mine was
with stoppings in a position that would leave an area successful for many years but eventually they
suitable for extensive stopping operations. closed the mine and the workings were taken over by
Consequently, the management decided to short-circuit the Holland family who were farmers in the district.
the ventilation from the affected part and withdraw the Mining continued in a small way with one of the
skips, winches and pumps to the surface. On the 29th
August closefitting scaffolds were fitted in the downcast Holland family still at the mine in the mid-1950's.
and upcast shafts at a point 8 feet (2.4 meters) from the At the turn of the century the population of
surface, and sand fillings on top of the platforms Huntly was around 1000. Most of the men still
effectively sealed off the mine workings thus worked in the mines, who, since the previous year,
temporarily rendering inaccessible the two thick had been absorbed by the Taupiri Reserve
workable seams of brown coal existing under the Crown (Kimihia) and the Waikato, on the west side of the
and privately owned lands in the vicinity of the shafts.
river.

Looking across the lake from the vicinity of Russell Road at the early mining
works on the Kimihia Lake southern shoreline.