Mine manager Paul Matheson said the open day was a great opportunity to present Bathurst’s commitment to the environment.
"You hear a lot of dirty stories about coal mining, and no-one enjoys it, so we thought we’ll just open up doors to educate people on the reality of it."
Since 2013, 50ha of mined land has been converted in to rehabilitated farmland and now features three man-made wetlands.
"New Zealand still does require coal and there’s a transition period to move out of it, and then in the meantime we want to be the be able to supply the market for it," Mr Matheson said.
Buses to view the open mine left from the Takitimu Rugby Club every 15 minutes, and Mr Matheson said they had operated around 100 mine tours by 11am.
Bathurst Resources chief executive officer Richard Tacon said it was quite the effort getting the mine open to the public for the day and the team had been fantastic in doing so.
"It’s great to be able to show what we do, and it’s great for our employees to be able to show their families what we do."
Takitimu contains one of the few remaining pockets of subbituminous coal in the region, where coal has been produced for more than 140 years.
Last year, about 30 environmental activists barricaded themselves inside and outside the mine, calling for an end to coal mining in the area.
