Question: are there opals in new zealand?
Answer: Tairua opal mine, Tairua, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato Region, North Island, New Zealand. The first news found of opals at this site was 1897, stating the Opal Mining Company was obtaining blocks of stone traversed by opal veins. In 1898 it is reported Blair, Tregoweth and party are mining the stone.