Crawrorp.—On Gold in the Wellington Provincial District. 479 
that lumps may often be broken off at the thinner parts, and appear in a 
boulder-like form. The quantity of mullock separating the layers of quartz 
ought, I suppose, to make the working of these reefs very easy. 
Supposing the Otaki reefs to be gold-bearing the question of access 
would be a serious consideration. There would not, I think, be any parti- 
cular engineering difficulties in forming a road to them from Otaki, but it 
would be a work of considerable outlay. I think it probable that a low 
saddle might be found by which to reach them from the valley of the 
Hakatarewaha. > 
I have not examined the valley of the Ohau, the next river to the 
northward of the Otaki, but prospectors found a good deal of gold in the 
terraces of that river, although not enough to pay. 
The Otaki reefs ought of course to be traced if possible to the Ohau, and 
it seems to me that the gold found in the terraces is strong corroborative 
evidence of the auriferous character of the reefs, and also that the parti- 
cular reefs about which I write are the true mineral lodes of the district. 
I wish it particularly to be borne in mind that I found no signs of 
mineral veins in ascending the Otaki River until I reached the reefs in 
question on the Waiotauheru. 
Now that the Hakatarewaha is opened by a road, it would be compara- 
tively easy to prospect that valley ; and I am inclined to think that if the 
line of strike of the Otaki reefs were first obtained, and then followed into 
the Hakatarewaha, reefs in that valley would be soon picked up, if not 
obvious without adopting this plan. 
These reefs are naturally most easily found in sections of river banks, 
and this mode of discovering them is the best in the upper parts of the 
rivers. When, however, the rivers have spread out into valleys, and have 
formed large deposits of alluvium or of shingle, then they prove of little or 
no assistance. 
It would be advisable to examine the upper part of the Hutt River, and 
of its tributaries, to ascertain whether or not any reefs crop out there. 
With regard to what I call the eastern line of reefs I cannot speak so 
positively. I have found the stone about Orongorongo, and I am told that 
it is found all the way up that valley. As have said above, I have seen it 
in the Wainuiomata, and indications of it about Drake's Elbow. Indica- 
tions may also be found along the road between the Pakuratahi and the 
Rimutaka saddle. The whole line requires further prospecting. 
I would by no means discourage further search in the direction of 
A considerable quantity of gold has been found there, but the 
reef has not yet been struck. If, however, the particular kind of quartz 
which I point out be carefully looked for, and if found in veins then 
followed up, we may perhaps arrive at a satisfactory result after all, 
