Відео

@@KeyBordWarrior thanks for watching : )

@@gregnz1 thanks for watching. Check out my latest video, I use a blacklight torch

@@alisonthomas47 surely Mount Te Aroha will get snow if anywhere. Cave pox is defintely something to keep an eye out for, lol

⁠m hopefully and if it does the ranges near here in Matamata should too. I’m on the edge of town so I’ll walk out into the country slightly and will get a good view if there is any snow. Looking forward to more of this mine and more interesting glowing stuff. That pant was a total crack up

@@alisonthomas47 lol, who knew that fluorescent paint would shine like that in UV light

@@mrfatbobrider1969 good idea. At some point a water proof bag is also a good idea. Im really running this channel on the fumes of an oily rag. Im hoping one day Ill somehow be able to afford better torches, and a gymble for the camera, proper ropes etc. Right now this is the only work like thing that I do so just finding petrol money to go out is a struggle. Im much happier than when had a 9 to 5 job and at my age, thats what matters most to me now

@@StevenAverage good on ya mate, you’re doing a great job making the journey, I’m 55 now but still do what I can because of my Bad Back I can’t always get something’s done as fast as I used too , my wife’s the same, we both worked too hard from birth 😂😂 … But hey if I should happen to come across something that may be of help to you I’ll hopefully be able to donate to the cause for your Journey into the History of Mining ⛏️ A wetsuit might help ya out too one like a surfer wears nice and light but should keep you warmer ✌️😎👍🇳🇿

@@mrfatbobrider1969 I have a wetsuit, I tried hiking in it, like I see guys in Tasmania doing. I Just about gave myself heatstroke after a few hours, lol. That was when I thought Id try sniping for gold in the creeks. Thanks for your thoughts, yes, when you hit your 50s, everything hurts : )

@@mrfatbobrider1969 at the moment, I think this must have been the main entrance but I will be making further enquiries. It seems a bit awkward for a main entrance.

@@johnfraser6196 feel free to buy me a better torch. Im doing the best I can with what I can afford. Thanks for watching

@@slidey1788 i mustnt have looked deep enough. Maybe if I walked at 88mph it would have helped

@@majestic1222 thanks. I know its a bit long but thats because I managed to get in a pretty long way

@@douglaschell1132 thanks for watching. Sorry for sounding dumb but was does preshrinking involve? I went in there again a few hours ago and got quite a long way in

@@majestic1222 thanks. Going to try again today. Editing will take a few days though.

@@mrfatbobrider1969 its always better when other people are along with me. The wood in the middle there is in good condition, apart from having fallen down. Its in a nice dry spot.

@@StevenAverage cool I’m always looking for different types of wood especially wood that has history to go with it, I’m starting to build guitars but that was a cool video, now to subscribe… ✌️😎👍🇳🇿

@@mrfatbobrider1969 thanks very much for that. I rarely know who has subscribed. Your guitars sound interesting. I originally was a musician when I left school. I played bass. I thought I was going to be in the next guns n roses. Unfortunately I didnt become a rockstar and had to go back to school and uni as a mature student. I did carry on in cover bands off and on into my mid 40s.....ooooh now I see what youre getting at. Youd like some mine wood for a guitar? Anything is possible : )

@@StevenAverage yep so they say ,one of the most important sayings is, you’ll never know unless you ask ✌️😎👍🇳🇿

Maybe email me at forgottennz72@gmail.com I might get in trouble trying to sell stuff in comments section

@@alisonthomas47 Im going to try again tomorrow and hopefully get a lot further in

Cool, i cant wait to se your video​@@StevenAverage

@@alisonthomas47 I just got back from the mine. Its really cool inside, lots of mineralisation, relics and on several levels. Im hoping to have it uploaded by saturday

@@JohnWilson-cs7iq I rely on my rope owning friend to be with me for times like that and he wasnt available that day. Im going back tomorrow with friend and rope

@@shanefraser7764 ive seen people abseiling while ive been going through mines. It looks like a great place for it. Thanks for watching : )

@StevenAverage I lived in waihi during my teenage years circa 95 I left waihi collage, spent alot of time in there back thru to dickys flat via the water pipe tunnel, my favorite was the last tunnel on the right side before the path crosses over the bridge now blocked off. About 100 Mtrs in there is a huge open gallery with an old gantry crane/ lift that has fallen into the Sharft ,you could easily fit an entire 2 storey house in there., my friend Peter Rae and myself were gearing up to climb thru the rubble and decend to the lower shafts but we never got to it and it was SUPER DANGEROUS LOL

@@shanefraser7764 funny you should say that. I think thats one of the mines I was thinking of going down in the next couple of days. Either that or another place up Waiotahi road in Thames. I only found out about them a few days ago.

@StevenAverage Good luck man stay safe out there, my parents both worked for the two different mining companies in waihi at the time, my old man 1 mile underground up behind waikino and my mum worked on a sample drilling rig in the open Pitt at Martha in town. If your around waihi again have a geez around union Hill.and black hill in waihi east as there's a few shafts and tunnels near the old cyanide factory ruins, there's even an old cottage up behind were the conveyor tunnel runs thru to the processing plant that is built on top of an open shaft im going to look at it when I visit nxt

@@shanefraser7764 yep, staying safe is high on my list of priorities. Im just starting to find out how crazy deep some of the mines are. I tried to get in a mine the other day where Ive been told I can walk in as deep as I dare. Unfortunately you need a rope to get in and I didnt have one that day. Thanks for the tip about Waihi, it definitely sounds like its worth a trip out there. Stay safe on your expedition as well

@@majestic1222 I will have a new shortish video out in the next couple of days. Its short because I needed a rope to get in further and didnt have one. Im also doing another hike either tomorrow or thursday and that video will be out this coming weekend. I have been in contact with a guy from the Thames mining museum and he has given me information about mines that should keep me going for years. Thanks for watching all my videos. My early videos I just did on my phone so sorry about the shakiness. I swapped to a gopro around 7 months ago. Please hold on. New content is coming very soon

@@alisonthomas47 water levels in the mines seem to change quite drastically each time I visit. I wish I had my gopro when I did these early videos, its much more stable. I will revisit some of these places once I can afford some upgrades on my equipment

@@David5467 I was worried that would happen as well, so I used a cheaper camera that does have a proper waterproof case. For a $100 camera, I thought the result was pretty good. Thanks for watching, I assumed most people had stopped watching before I got to the river

@@alisonthomas47 thanks for watching. It was a surprise seeing those trout. Ill be trying that again when I come across a good stream. My next hike out to a mine will be on sunday, then it will take 2 or 3 days to edit and upload

@@ellicj thanks for watching. Not sure how old this particular drive is. I know it was still in operation until the 1970s. Te Aroha looks like a beautiful town to live in

@@markharvey9772 unfortunately I dont carry anything that would tell me coordinates. This is ultra budget mine exploring. Which particular shaft are you talking about? I may be able to give you vague directions

@@ScrapTechTips cheers. Thanks for watching : )

@@nzoomed I knew there must still be places around there I havent seen yet. I will go back again but maybe Ill wait a few months until the heat goes down from the recent mine mud debacle in the Ohinemuri river. Awesome getting extra information, so thanks very much : )

@@nzoomed I had seen that pipe a couple of times before but it never even occured to me to climb in it. It was only after a friend of mine told me it was the entrance, that I went in. That was a fun exploration

@@nzoomed Id like to get hold of a carbide lamp sometime, to see how bright they are. I also thought a Davies lamp would be a good idea. I thought it might be cheaper than a gas detection device

​@@StevenAverage I got myself one when I got to know Merv, he would always take his lamp in. They turn up on trademe from time to time and can be found in antique shops often. The carbide is the hard stuff to find these days but caving clubs have access to it. Believe it or not but carbide caving lamps are still made to this day.

@@nzoomed now I think about it, I reckon Im also in contact with Merv right now. Does he have something to do with the mining museum? Im hoping to meet him this week

@@StevenAverage Yup thats him, he was the one who introduced me into exploring these mines. He has a wealth of knowledge but turns out there is quite a number of mines even he himself has not discovered.

@@nzoomed I look forward to meeting him. Also sounds like there are still a lot of mines to keep me going for a while. Hopefully he will tell me where to stay away from as well

@@daidavies6210 feel free to buy me one. No one is forcing you to watch me. Im doing the best I can with what I have.

@@mrslushydaminator4974 thanks for watching. I agree with you and wont be going back in there. Ive seen footage from a friend of mine who went further than me so I figure theres no need for me to go back. It doesnt get much more interesting further in. Its also about waist deep in water and I cant be bothered dealing with that

@@MildaGoesWild thanks, thats just what I tell myself when things arent going great. I can always walk outside and see beautiful scenery. Also helps that I live way out in the countryside. Really glad to hear from you again. Are you still making videos? I cant see anything on your channel more recent than about 11 months ago. Just wondering if like me, your recent videos are harder to find. Having said that, you obviously found my latest video fairly easily. Its weird, the videos doing best for me, I made about 7 or 8 months ago. Some of them have taken off a bit lately (by my standards) and I have no idea why. My newer videos seem to struggle and Im not sure why. It doesnt bother me too much, I just think its a little odd. I wonder if recent videos will also do better, months down the track. Thanks again for watching. It was a struggle to feel ok about videoing myself more than I usually do. Seeing myself age is terrifying

@StevenAverage thanks for asking, I've been very busy after changing jobs and decided to take a little break from filming (which has now turned into a not so little break...). I keep meaning to resume. But I'm still exploring on a regular basis. From what I've found, some videos will 'break through' and get more views, but consistency is important, active channels get more traffic.

@@MildaGoesWild Ive almost decided to retire, sort of. Im just not interested in working for rich idiots anymore. Im going to try and see if I can do something for myself, even if the pay is bad or non existant. I understand you taking a break from filming. Going in to these old mines is dangerous. Im hoping to expand my channel so as eventually I can do something safer. I find the mines interesting but every time I go in, its a bit like playing Russian roulette. I found out yesterday that a body had been pulled out of a cave I explored last year. I knew someone had died there recently but I didnt realise the body hadnt been found. It creeps me out that the body was still in there when I went in. I wouldnt have climbed over the barrier blocking the entrance if I had known. I should have read up more about it before I went in. Im lucky not to have had angry locals have a go at me for making a video in that circumstance. Oh well, I have lived and learned

@@alisonthomas47 thanks for watching , I love how many locals are enjoying what I do. Im sure lots of people walk past these mines and wonder whats inside. There really isnt a lot of footage from inside these places, so it has seemed worthwhile to try and document what I can. I know Im not exactly professional but if no one else is going to do it, then it may as well be me. Plus I love doing it. It gives a sense of purpose to hikes I would have done anyway, with or without a camera

⁠, I’ve walked the upper and lower tracks at Wairongomai and never even thought of mines. The history around is amazing. The mining around here, Kauri logging up Thames way

@@alisonthomas47 Im glad I live close enough to relatively easily check these places out. Hopefully I will back into mines around Thames in the coming week

@@jakem8155 thanks for watching. Ill be trying to find more accurate information about these mines, now that I know a few people are seeing what I do. Ill have a new video out at the end of next week. Probably heading out to Thames somewhere

@@majestic1222 glad you enjoyed it. I was hesitant about making it. I know Im no one special but youtube is for everyone to have a go at if they want.

@@wilsonwilson8086 ive been trying to tell from pictures, which mine its coming from but still havent figured it out. Id say it will get gated off before I get around to going and having a look. Ive been half expecting a knock on the door asking if I know anything about it

@@StevenAverage Said above the carpark....but that doesn't make sense to me... Greetings from Great Barrier 😎

@@wilsonwilson8086 I love Great Barrier. If I won lotto, Id live there Youre very lucky. Yeah, above the carpark doesnt make any sense to me either

@@StevenAverage has to be further up stream going by the photos.

@@StevenAverage The "long Drive" just north of Thames, easy access, but I've never had enough light or balls to get over the wall. Some have , but I don't like wetas.

@@dianekleitz4926 thanks for watching. The scenery around here does wonders for my mental wellbeing : )

@@v.roni1971 thanks for watching. Its a bit too wet for going on long tramps through the bush at the moment. Next week I will be out again

@@StevenAverage I agree. You went into a mine in the Gorge that I've always wanted too explore. So thanks for showing me inside that. I suspected there wasn't much too see . If there's a locked gate I get curious.. Have a great week . Looks like the rain has set in for abit.

@@v.roni1971 Im very happy to have shown you something you wanted to see. I might stay out of the gorge for a bit, I expect there will be some finger pointing going on around there at the moment. Thats ok, there are plenty more mines to look at in other locations

@@StevenAverage agreed .

@@chrishart267 yes it is. It gives me nightmares now. I believe there was a large amount of water behind the concrete wall at the end. Had that broken for some reason it would mean death and probably a big plume of dirty water like in the karangahake gorge at the moment

@@StevenAverage I thought so, I got to the water and was like bugger that, I'm glad I did now I know it was waste deep 😂 So from what I've learned (and correct me if I'm wrong) that's the level 5 mine. It's totally different now to how I remember it as a kid. I talked to guys when they did the clean up years ago and they told me this lower level was going to be capped and flooded. So I imagine your bang on the money that there's water behind there. Apparently that drive continued on then opened up into a big cavern past that cap. That would have been great to see. The guy said he'd take me in there at the time, but unfortunately we never got there in the end. I didn't realize the cap was so far in though . I appreciate your efforts, saves me getting wet 👍😁

@@chrishart267 knowing what I do now I probably wouldnt have gone in there. Me and Aaron have both put videos of it on youtube, right to the end so theres no real need for anyone else to go in. Its probably best those sedimentation weirs are left to do their job. There are nicer mines to look at than that one

@@Bob-h3n Ive been wondering the same thing all day. I can only think its the north side of the crown stope. I hope not though, I still had plans of going in there again. Obviously I also hope no one was inside, if there was a collapse

@@StevenAverage They said it looked as someone dug a channel with a pick. Can't imagine anyone wanting to do that. It will have killed a lot of things, I used to work for a professor of marine biology who studied the native trout Kokopu and basically everything native in freshwater. This will have killed everything down stream.

@@Bob-h3n there are unscrupulous explorers around. The same ones that use grinders to get through gates. Thats not my game though

And oh yes we used to make copper crystals in science class, good memories. U just got a new subscriber buddy

@@laurakeightley9882 I never did stop and really try to get some copper sulphate to do that crystalisation thing. I should have, it would have been a cool extra thing to video. Thanks for watching and subscribing especially. It surprises me that I get any more views than just my parents and a few friends I convince to watch.

@@laurakeightley9882 I live out west of Ngaruawahia but its a nice drive to Te Aroha, through the fog and seeing the mountain rise up through it for most of the way

@@StevenAverage no worries man I'm a science geek and love to support local creators. Keep up the adventures !

@@laurakeightley9882 Ill try and science it up a bit more with geology and stuff : )

@@Photosynthesisbeing fair point. There really isnt much bracing in any of the places I go and anything left is rotten. Its possible someone could die but I wouldnt say many people go in, in the first place. For every mine I put on video, there are 2 or 3 others Ive looked down and thought nope, theres only death down there

@@bilbobaggans8398 not yet. I was talking to another friend about doing that, a week or so ago. So still on my list of things to do

@@piricarroll thanks for watching. You are 100% correct. It took me a few hours to figure that out. In the video right after this I say that it was just a drip down the torch. It took me a moment because at that stage I was still using my phone to video and a drip down the camera lens wouldnt look like that

@@teresafarac7560 thanks for watching. Its the most interesting mine Ive found so far. Probably because it was the most recently one worked. Still freaks me out that theyve left dynamite in there and I didnt know till afterwards

@@bilbobaggans8398 hey, thanks for watching. I have videos on youtube of going into both of those places. One I called into the mouth of the giant. I paddled a raft across but couldnt tell where to get in very far. The pumphouse one I called bad air, hidden goldmine

@@StevenAverage sweet, is the pump house still boarded off with a bit to squeeze through. The one across the river isn't far past that bridge. There may have been a higher up entrance but i might be getting confused as it was 30 odd years ago. Funny story, we were on a kayaking trip and decided to explore the mines and asked a local guy and he told us about the 1 across the river as the others are not that long. We started of with 7 of us and as things got dodgyer people started dropping off. The mine is slopping 70deg with a track running accross it and heaps of slips that take out the track but u can get past. You don't want to fall at any stage as it goes down far at 70deg. A few bits to jump across where u can't afford to fall. I could have gone further but in the end it was me and Geoff and he dropped balls and I was to scared to carry on by myself so mine dropped as well lol. It goes in a long way compared to the others we explored

@@bilbobaggans8398 the pumphouse has been blocked off with various gates but I guess some people are so keen to get in that theyve used bolt cutters or a grinder to cut through bars and locks. They are still a squeeze to get past. I cant be bothered going to those lengths, my pack is heavy enough without a grinder. The big mine across the river did look accessible higher up but I would want proper roping in gear to do it better than I did

Agreed. I would be interested to know if anyone made a profit at all. Thanks for watching : )

Thanks for watching. Id be lying if I said it wasnt dangerous. There have been many mines I take a few steps into and decide the risk isnt worth it to continue. Collapse probably isnt my main concern, the mines have remained largely intact for well over 100 years, so I hope its unlikely theyll collapse just because I went in there. Im more concerned with falling down shafts or through the roof of a stope. Also miners were sometimes less than careful about where they left old unused dynamite. I gave up kayak fishing to do this and oddly enough, the mines seem safer

@@marjanboo4196 I was surprised myself but Ive had comments and got lots of views from shareholders so it does seem legit. Its not the only place Ive found work going on. Coromandel has more exploration going on than most people know

And thanks for watching : )

@@majestic1222 thanks for watching. Keep an eye out for my other videos. This one is about 9 months old, Ive made many more since then. Most recent was just last week. I think Im improving as time goes by : )

@@majestic1222 thanks for watching, Im glad you got something out of it : )

@@karnereeves3460 I always leave a message on my desk about my location. I also tell my flatmate where im going and when ill be back, unless he comes with me. If he is with me, I let another friend know. I also tell my mum, she is in Australia but would panic before anyone else if I went missing. My flatmates dad was killed in a mine collapse in Australia, so its always on my mind