Geological Survey of Canterbury. 65 



CHAPTEH II. 



Peom the Discoyeet or the West Coast G-oldfields to the 

 Teemination oe the G-eological Suevey oe Canteebuey, 

 Ekd of June, 1868. 



Joueney to the West Coast, 1865. 



I now prepared myself to start for the West Coast, to examine and 

 report upon the goldfields opened up in the northern portion of the 

 Province, and to trace the extent of the auriferous ground, not only 

 as an assistance to the mining population, but also as a guidance to 

 the Provincial Government. This journey to the West Coast taking 

 place during the most remarkable period in the history of the Province, 

 I shall offer here a transcription of a portion of a paper treating on the 

 subject, which was read on February 11th, 1868, before the Imperial 

 Geographical Society of Vienna, and printed in its Transactions,* and 

 I trust that such account will not be without interest to the inhabitants 

 of Canterbury and Westland, many of whom will have a lively 

 recollection of those stirring times. 



Por several years past I had pointed out in my official reports, that 

 on the West coast of this Island, and especially of this Province 

 extensive, and without doubt rich, goldfields were situated ; but it was 

 long before the gold-diggers from the equally isolated Buller o-oldfields 

 (who were the first to go) went there. A few rich finds caused many 

 miners working in the Otago goldfields at last to turn their attention 



* Besehreibung einer Eeise yon Christchurch, der Hauptstadt der Provinz Canterbury auf Keu 

 Seeland, nach den Goldf'eldern der West Kiiste in Jahre 1865. von Dr Julius Haast, Mittheilun<*en 

 der K.K. Geographischen Gesellsehaft in Wien, No. 4 und No. 5, 1868. 



