Image: Stef Cotteret | ©
The stone remains of a hut surrounded by brambles in a rugged valley.
Shek Harn Historic Reserve Track

Located in Alexandra area in the Otago region

A walking track along the Fraser River to dwellings used by Chinese miners and the remains of gold workings.

From the car park at the southern end of Fraser Dam, the track follows the true right of the Fraser River, initially over boulder flats before picking up an old mining water race. There are plenty of historic mining remains to explore, including stone hut ruins, stacked stone tailings, wing dams and rock shelters. The track eventually peters out on rough boulder flats.

From Alexandra:

  1. Follow Earnscleugh Road for around 5 km before turning left into Blackman Road.
  2. Follow it to Fraser Dam Road (gravel), which continues for 9 km.
  3. Turn left at the signposted vehicle track before the dam, following it for 2 km to a car park area near the start of the track.

In dry weather, ordinary 2WD cars can negotiate Fraser Dam Road with care. However, the road surface can be rutted and slippery depending on recent weather conditions. A 4WD may be required in winter.

Gold mining sites on Earnscleugh Station cover the entire history of gold mining in New Zealand from the earliest gold rush days in Conroys Gully in 1862 to modern workings above the Fraser Dam. Numerous Chinese and European miners worked claims here.

Shek Harn Historic Reserve contains hut ruins and alluvial workings, mainly of Chinese origin. Shek Harn is Cantonese for ‘big stone ditch’.

The linear field of the Fraser River is part of the largest high-altitude gold field in Otago and is an example of some of the most remote workings in an often unforgiving and harsh environment. The amount of work done in these settings was nothing short of impressive.

One of the most striking examples in this area is the Long House, about 2 km upstream of Fraser Dam. It consists of two rooms with well-made 2.5 m high stone walls that are still standing, within a stone-walled enclosure about 20 m by 7 m on a terrace on the true left above the river (opposite side from the track).