Stressed Waihi homeowners are close to signing their houses over to an American mining giant after sudden ground movement which affected their properties.
Newmont Waihi Gold said on Christmas Eve an initial investigation had failed to find the cause of the movement on Gladstone Rd.
The properties are above Newmont's Golden Link Project Area, which includes its proposed Correnso gold mine, a seam running 130m to 450m underground.
For several years, the company has conducted exploratory drilling and last year it sank test bores in the area, which some residents claim have disturbed the land.
Newmont has offered to buy out the five affected homeowners, and the Herald understands some have reached settlements.