June 1, 1864] THE TECHNOLOGIST. 



GOLD DISCOVERIES IN NEW ZEALAND. 515 



and emptying itself into the Makerewa. Their attention was drawn by 

 the very large amount of mica mixed with the quartz gravel, iron-sand, 

 and blue clay forming the bed of the creek. Mr. Assistant-Surveyor 

 Garvie also confirmed about this time the existence of gold in Otago. 

 During a reconnaisance survey of the south-eastern district of the pro- 

 vince, he found traces of gold in the gravel and sand of several streams 

 and rivers. One of the survey party happened to have previously 

 worked on the Australian gold fields, and his experience was of consider- 

 able value in the searches that were made. The gold found was small 

 and scaly, and the opinion was expressed that it existed in several loca- 

 lities in payable quantity. It was ascertained that a man named Peters 

 had for some time been engaged in obtaining small quantities of gold 

 from the sands of the Tokomairiro Eiver, now known as the Woolshed 

 Diggings, and from which large quantities of gold have been taken. 



In March, L858, Mr. Garvie brought down to Dunedin some speci- 

 mens of gold which he had obtained in the neighbourhood of the Dunstan 

 ranges. The gold was mixed with iron-sand and oxide of tin, and 

 found in every dishful of earth they washed. And yet this district was 

 the site of Hartley and Reilly's great discovery four years afterwards. 

 On the 23rd of the same month, Mr. Garvie wrote as follows to the Chief 

 Surveyor of Otago : — " I have the honour to inform you, that while 

 engaged in the survey of the Tuapeka country, one of the men belonging 

 to my party discovered gold to be pretty freely distributed even among 

 the surface gravel near the mouth of this stream." Still no public 

 interest appeared to be felt in the discovery. Well might the local 

 newspaper comment on the strange apathy of the people. During this 

 year (1858) gold was also found in the Lindis River, in the north-eastern 

 part of Otago. 



The Nelson gold fields were tolerably prosperous during the year, 

 but a prevalence of very heavy floods, which swept away the tools and 

 appliances of the miners, interfered considerably with mining operations, 

 and the yield of gold fell off. Still fresh discoveries continued to be 

 made, and great confidence was expressed in the permanency of the 

 diggings. In the early part of 1859, several large nuggets were found 

 in the Rocky River, weighing from two to nine ounces. In March, gold 

 was found on the Waikaro, lor a distance of nearly twenty miles along 

 the bed of the river.' During 1860, the population on the Aorere gold 

 fields suffered considerable diminution, and although the yield of gold 

 bore a very satisfactory proportion to those engaged in the pursuit, there 

 was no excitement, and but very little attention was paid to the diggings 

 out of the Nelson Province. 



In March, 1861, gold was found in sufficient quantity to create 

 excitement, by a number of road makers, in the River Lindis, a tributary 

 of the Molyneux River, in the Otago Province. The gold found con- 

 sisted of large, water-worn nuggets about the size of a bean. Immediately 

 on the discovery being made public a considerable number of persons 



