27 
C.— 13. 
of the Teremakau River. Further to the north-east they have not yet been closely examined along 
the higher mountains of the main range. These rocks form the central axis of the range, extending 
from Mount Buckley, on the south side of the Brunner Gorge, to the western sources of New 
River. In this part they have not been explored, although liable to contain auriferous quartz-reefs 
and other metallic minerals, as do the continuation of the same line of rocks on the opposite side of 
the Grey Valley, along the middle slopes of the Mount Davy Range. 
This latter, or the Langdon’s area of Maitai slates, extends from the southern slopes of Bald 
Hill as a gradually narrowing exposure to the watershed of the right-hand branch of Ford’s Creek, 
where it is terminated. Within the watershed of Langdon’s Creek an antimony lode and a line of 
quartz-reef, with several parallel leaders of quartz, have been discovered, and have been prospected 
more or less continuously for the past twenty years. Recently fresh developments have taken 
place, and rich discoveries have been made in the Victory Claim, owned by Messrs. Curtis, they 
having touched upon a small reef containing some very rich stone. 
In the Lower Blackball, slate makes its appearance near the township, and the boundary-line 
between this and the coal-rocks follows the right bank of the stream closely to Smoke-IIo Hill, and 
thence, disregarding a broken area of coal country, is projected more to the north-east. Beyond this 
the boundary-line of the slates goes west to the top of the range in Ford’s Peak, and thence follows 
a sinuous yet general direction to the coast-line near the Twelve-mile. 
From Ford’s Peak to the source of the Moonlight, the Paparoa Range is composed of Maitai 
slates and sandstones, if a small granite area at Barrytown be excepted. 
Throughout, the rocks are generally similar in the different localities, though at places sand- 
stones predominate, as for instance between the Twelve-mile Creek and the Fourteen-mile Bluff. 
In this southern part of the Paparoa Range there are six or seven distinct lines of quartz-reefs, 
with accompanying leaders or veins. All of them have an east and west direction and, as a rule, 
dip to the north. One massive outcrop runs along the north-east side of the right-hand upper 
branch of Blackball Creek, and passes thence into the watershed of the Ten-mile Creek, but, though 
the rocks are clearly exposed, this massive reef, 30ft. to 40ft. in width, does not, in this direction, 
appear to “live down “ to any great depth. In the contrary direction it can be traced across the 
different gullies a distance of from one mile and three-quarters to two miles. North-east of this, 
another line of reef crosses the range between the Meg and southern branch of the Moonlight, 
another in the line of Canoe Creek and the middle branch of the Moonlight, and yet another in the 
left-hand branch of the Moonlight, at the extremity of the slate area. The Minerva Reef lies in the 
outer eastern range, that runs from the lower gorge of the Blackball to the Moonlight Township. 
Another, and considerably the largest, of the isolated areas of the Maitai auriferous rocks, 
begins on the south side of the upper part of the Snowy River, and constitutes a very considerable 
area of outer-cropping slates along the south-east side of the Little Grey Valley to the Upper 
Inangahua. Towards the southern end of this area the Big River Mine is situated, while more to 
the north clusters of quartz-reefs and mines surround Merrijigs, and occur in the upper part of the 
valley of Devil’s Creek. 
North of the Inangahua, between Reefton and the mouth of Lankey’s Gully, the breadth of the 
auriferous formation is considerably lessened, and does not in this part exceed three miles, while 
north of Larry’s Creek the slate belt flanking the 'granite range is inconsiderable in breadth, and on 
the banks of the Buffer is less than half a mile. 
East of Reefton, and between the two branches of the Inangahua River, a comparatively small 
area of these rocks contains a great number of auriferous quartz-reefs, and lodes containing antimony 
and other minerals. Second only to the Reefton area is that of Boatman’s Creek, while a third, 
that of Larry’s, is in a less developed condition. 
North of the Buffer River a small area of slates outcrops along the gorge of the Waimangaroa 
River, the surface rocks immediately to the south being coal-measures, but beneath the coal- 
measures the Waimangaroa slates are evidently connected with the area forming the bulk of 
Mount William, and thence extending south-west across the Buffer at the Little Ohika. 
More to the eastward an extensive area of these rocks lies along the north side of the Buffer 
Valley, between the Inangahua J unction and Lyell Creek. This extends north to and beyond the 
Mokihinui, but in this direction the northern part of this slate area has not been much explored. 
The Red Queen and other reefs further down the Mokihinui occur in rocks of a schistose character, 
and are, therefore, not to he considered in this connection. 
In the south-eastern part of the area quartz-reefs occur in Mackley’s, or the Orikaka Creek, 
but these have as yet only been noted by explorers, and no attempt has been made to ascertain if 
they are auriferous, or to develop them. More to the east, in the valley of New Creek, gold-bear- 
ing reefs occur in these beds, and are being worked ; while within the watershed of Lyell Creek 
there has been considerable mining on several reefs for many years. 
A small area of these Maitai rocks appears on the south side of the Buffer, at and below the 
junction of the Inangahua, and here also the rocks are impregnated with quartz-veins. At the very 
junction, dykes of granite have been intruded into the slates, and in the same manner, but on a 
much larger scale, granite intrusions are seen in the lower part of Lyell Creek, and along the Buffer 
Gorge above the Lyell to the Eight-mile Creek. 
Between the Glenroy and the Upper Matakitaki a small area of rocks is referred by Mr. Cox 
to the Maitai series, but recently these beds have not been examined. 
XIII. Devonian. 
(a.) Reefton Series . — These rocks occur between Boatman’s, at Capleston, and the source of 
Rainy Creek, and, generally speaking, lie to the east of the auriferous belt in this part of the Ina- 
ngahua Valley. The formation consists of blue slates, limestones, and cherts, and has its best and 
most characteristic exposures and sections in Lankey’s Gully, and along the south branch of the 
Inangahua to Garvie’s Creek. The limestones are also particularly finely displayed along the right 
bank of the Waitahu, or north branch of the Inangahua. No quartz-reefs have yet been discovered 
in these rocks, and they appear to be devoid of useful minerals, except limestone. 
