Mining - gold

This theme brings together a group of gold mining sites that began with the small Coromandel rush of 1852, followed by another small rush in 1857 at Aorere in Golden Bay. Then came the big Otago rush of 1861 and ended when Waiuta closed in 1953.

The principal New Zealand goldfields were Coromandel, Nelson/Marlborough, Central Otago and West Coast. The two main types of gold mine were:

• 'Hard rock' quartz mines, and
• Alluvial mining which included panning and cradling, sluicing and dredging.

Homeward Bound Battery, Macetown

Considerable prospecting and mining was done during the 1930s depression by people who would otherwise have been unemployed. Many of DOC’s managed historic hut sites date to this era.

DOC has as many as 1000 gold mining sites on lands it manages. The following sites are actively managed and developed for visitors, and represent most of New Zealand's significant gold mining heritage.

Sites:

Gold Mining sites actively managed by DOC are:

Auckland

• Oreville Stamper Battery 1899

Waikato

• Lillis Battery, Tokatea Saddle, Coromandel
• Welcome Jack Battery, 1900 
• Broken Hills, Puketui, 1890
• Golden Hills Battery, Puketui, 1910

Bay of Plenty

• Butlers Incline 1883
• Franklin Rd to Bluff Stream Track (Waitawheta) 1907
• Karangahake Gorge Historic Walkway, Ohinamuri River
• Talisman Battery, Karangahake, 1900
• Victoria Battery Historic Site, Waikino
• Waitawheta Gorge Pipeline Track, Cherry & Sons battery, 1900 – mining - gold
• Woodstock Battery Historic Site, Woodstock Battery, 1887
• Woodstock G.M.C. ‘Windows’ tunnels, Waitawheta Gorge, 1890
• Woodstock Underground Pumphouse, Waitawheta Gorge, 1900

Wanganui

• Boars Head Mine 1869

Nelson/Marlborough

• Baton Miner’s Bridge 1880
• Booth’s Cottage 1933
• Cecil King’s Hut 1935
• Druggans Dam 1870s
• Johnston’s United Battery 1879
• North Bank Wairau Gold Mines i860
• Ransomes and Sims Engine 1895
• Rolling River Goldfield 1860
• Waikakaho Goldmines 1888

West Coast

• Argyle Dam and water races, Charleston
• Big River Quartz Mine
• Brighton Cemetery
• Britannia Track and battery
• Browning Pass Pack track
• Croesus Track  
• Donovan's Store, Okarito
• Fenian Goldfields
• Gillespies Beach
• Golden Lead
• Goldsborough
• Inland Pack track
• Kaniere Water Race
• Kirwins
• Larrys Creek
• Lyell Town
• Moonlight track
• Murray Creek track
• Nelson Creek historic area
• Reefton School of Mines Historic Building
• Ross Goldfield Historic Reserve
• Tatare Tunnels
• Waiuta Goldmine 
• Wanganui pack track

Canterbury

• Craigieburn Conservation Park 1880’s, 1902 -1912 and 1933 (NB Urquhart’s Hut was built during this depression scheme)

Otago

• Arrowtown Chinese Settlement, 1880
• Macetown Historic Site, 1880
• Nenthorn Conservation Area 1889
• St Bathans historic buildings
• Bendigo Historic Reserve 1880
• Bannockburn Historic Reserve 1862
• Invincible Mine & Concentrator Historic Reserve 1882
• Quartz Reef Point Historic Reserve 1862

Southland

• Alpha Battery & Quartz Mine, Preservation Inlet 1898
• Golden Site Battery, Preservation Inlet 1892
• Morning Star mine and Te Oneroa Township, Preservation Inlet 1894
• Tarawera Smelter & Mine, Preservation Inlet 1911
• Wilson River Pack Track, Preservation Inlet 1892
• Wilson River Tramway, Preservation Inlet 1893
• Ports Water Race, Longwood Ranges 1889
• Printz’s Mine, Longwood Ranges 1878
• Waipapa Bucket Dredge Remains, Southland 1935
• Turnbull’s Race, Big Dam, and Hut, Longwood Ranges 1875
• Martin’s Hut and Race, Longwood Ranges 1900
• Piano Flat Water Race, Waikaia 1895
• Anita Bay Stone House, Milford Sound 1932

Further reading:

Keene, Howard. (1995). Going for Gold, The Search for Riches in the Wilberforce Valley. (Department of Conservation, Christchurch).

Smith, Nigel. (2001). Heritage of Industry: discovering New Zealand’s industrial history.  (Reed, Auckland).

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