New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

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Wellington Gold Mine

Darren		Posted : Monday, 3 November 2014 12:29:50 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Flake Groups: Registered Joined: 6/01/2014(UTC) Posts: 24 Location: Blenheim Thanks: 28 times Was thanked: 40 time(s) in 19 post(s)		I spent yesterday afternoon checking out some old gold workings on the Northbank just out of Blenheim, which included a trip to the old Wellington gold mine which had been on the cards for some time, with DOC having recently cleared the trails after tree felling its actually possible to get out to these places this summer. Disclaimer; THIS IS A CLOSED AND POTENTIALLY UNSAFE GOLD MINE, I DO NOT RECOMMEND PEOPLE HUNT THIS PLACE OUT AND ENTER IT The old stamping battery (two batteries of 5 stamps each) are still on site down by banks the Top Valley river (one of which has been stood up in its original spot), there are also two berdans and the camshaft and large steel pulleys, nothing remains of the original building, the pelton wheel or any of the fluming to supply water from the ridge above but there is still some remaining channels dug into the hillside. The old battery camshaft and a large pulley wheel in the background One of the old 'Stamps' An old grinding ball from the Berdan The two Berdans A partially assembled battery The track up to the mine is overgrown, its not sign posted, if you know where to look its not to find the benched trail that must have formed a tramway to across the creek from the mine site, the mine entrance proper requires serious bush bashing and scrambling over loose terrain with rotten birch providing nothing to hold onto, I do not recommend going this far. The mine entrance Looking down the Adit, the reflection of eyes in the distance looking back Timber supports, or what is left of the only one to be seen, there are also the odd railway sleeper in the floor along with rusty nails Turns out those eyes were just a friendly owl, or a messenger of death if you are superstitious (halfway down the Adit) Looking up the ventilation shaft, the white stuff on the walls is frost (its serious cold and damp in here) And finally at the end of the mine, this is the area of stooped out quartz, after being in the mine it was hardly suprising this company never did well. The quartz wasn't particularly rich and its plain for all to see here that there wasn't even that much of it.

c4bb0ose		Posted : Monday, 3 November 2014 12:55:22 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Nugget Groups: Registered Joined: 7/09/2014(UTC) Posts: 97 Thanks: 1 times Was thanked: 32 time(s) in 29 post(s)		It would be interesting to see if they were actually onto something or not with modern day prospecting equipment. Pity there are no millionaires who could afford to pay someone to do it, or buy the equipment.

1864hatter		Posted : Monday, 3 November 2014 7:25:52 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 4/08/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,007 Location: Auckland.... Thanks: 49 times Was thanked: 566 time(s) in 269 post(s)		You should start a book, keep adding to it as you do more trips. Would make good reading for newbies
		And now....On sandy beaches and muddy soil, rings and coins await my coil!

Darren		Posted : Monday, 3 November 2014 7:43:11 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Flake Groups: Registered Joined: 6/01/2014(UTC) Posts: 24 Location: Blenheim Thanks: 28 times Was thanked: 40 time(s) in 19 post(s)		Originally Posted by: 1864hatter You should start a book, keep adding to it as you do more trips. Would make good reading for newbies Gold in a tin dish is the name of what you are thinking of Mat!!!! I have toyed with the idea of starting a blog, something a bit more developed then your normal hobby blog, using a bit of the old like what you will find in papers past to build a picture of how things used to be and a bit of the new like WGS84 GPS co-ordinates and Google satellite imaging to build a picture of where things are at right now. Provided things are kept to a certain quality in terms of pictures taken and historical research I think things have the potential to snowball as more and more content is added. Keeping things open sourced and free to view in an environment which is encouraging of contributions, allowing those who have their own story to tell a platform to do it. There is a pretty big gap in this community now we are in the digital age, it is so much easier to find things out from a laptop or even a cellphone than it is to head down to the local library and thumb from page to page in a book that has been out of print for decades. Its just an idea that struck me a week or two back, there really isn't anything like that out there, so I might look into doing something like that when the next winter comes and I am trapped inside by short days and bad weather.

1864hatter		Posted : Monday, 3 November 2014 8:21:08 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 4/08/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,007 Location: Auckland.... Thanks: 49 times Was thanked: 566 time(s) in 269 post(s)		Sure there is gold in a tin dish but it would be cool to record what and where things are in the present day. I have come across many gold workings in my travels and have always thought about recording their location etc. but have always been too preoccupied with trying to find gold instead...
		And now....On sandy beaches and muddy soil, rings and coins await my coil!

FossickFester		Posted : Tuesday, 4 November 2014 2:46:34 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 14/09/2013(UTC) Posts: 174 Location: Tasman Thanks: 63 times Was thanked: 35 time(s) in 31 post(s)		Can anyone here give me the location to where this place is, I would really like to check this place out over summer. Thanks in advance :)

Mudwiggle		Posted : Tuesday, 4 November 2014 3:23:15 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered, Moderators Joined: 22/10/2013(UTC) Posts: 742 Thanks: 182 times Was thanked: 683 time(s) in 317 post(s)		Originally Posted by: FossickFester Can anyone here give me the location to where this place is, I would really like to check this place out over summer. Thanks in advance :) This might be the one... http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-an...orthbank-walking-tracks/

FossickFester		Posted : Tuesday, 4 November 2014 6:58:36 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 14/09/2013(UTC) Posts: 174 Location: Tasman Thanks: 63 times Was thanked: 35 time(s) in 31 post(s)		Cheers guys, I've got the info i was after. :)

andyK		Posted : Monday, 8 June 2015 11:21:21 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Dust Groups: Registered Joined: 24/04/2015(UTC) Posts: 6 Location: blenheim Thanks: 43 times Was thanked: 9 time(s) in 5 post(s)		Been up there several times haven't as yet found that entrance wasnt sure if it was too the left or right of stamp and how far into the bush it was

simon		Posted : Monday, 8 June 2015 11:15:23 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 7/01/2011(UTC) Posts: 789 Location: Central Otago Thanks: 33 times Was thanked: 239 time(s) in 150 post(s)		awesome post and photos to match. this site needs more of this sort of content. i know myself that half the fun of going out mining is discovering what went on back in the day. There must have been something there you'd think for them to put in all that effort. guess it must have cut out. is there just the one shaft in the area.
		WWW

andyK		Posted : Tuesday, 9 June 2015 11:20:34 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Dust Groups: Registered Joined: 24/04/2015(UTC) Posts: 6 Location: blenheim Thanks: 43 times Was thanked: 9 time(s) in 5 post(s)		There was the jubilee mine at the start of the valley decent size shaft there and various other workings they had the omdurman dredge there too at one stage