New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

I am planning hopefully on a 4 or 5 day trip up there next week about Tuesday 28th August through to about Saturday/Sunday and would be keen on some company to explore beyond the public fossicking area. I'm taking my mountain bike (in fact busing it there because the car is needed at home in Oxford). At this stage there is a possible decent patch in the weather mid to late next week.

Two ideas (apart from generally checking out the fossicking area and things of interest there), I have on this are:

a) on foot trying to follow the old horse track up New Creek to Tichborne and Victory Creek. I have found the old geological survey map of the area which shows the tracks and location of the Old Camp. Check it out at the National Library of New Zealand website: http://www.natlib.govt.n.../cartographic-collection go to see all copies of digital maps and search Lyell. This might have been the map Crushit mentioned and track Kiwikeith saw. If you are keen to check it out, its not country I know. So hence some company would be good and help keep the folks back here feeling easier about my going in there.

b) by bike following the walking/bike track up the Lyell to the saddle and head of Mokihinui checking out some of the creeks nearish the track.

Mostly I'll be at the Lyell campground by night but might tent up toward the saddle sometime. So if any you might be around there and keen send me a message or email.

Edited by user Thursday, 23 August 2012 9:40:46 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

I also have not found any mention of anything north of 8 mile creek except talk of opening up a route to the Mokihinui to allow prospecting. They certainly did put a track through there sometime after the mid 1880s. They were still talking about building a track up the New Creek side in the mid 1880s though they had been mining at the Tichborne in the 70s I think and United Victory had been finding good gold and doing some crushings in the early to mid 1880s. After that I have no further mention except for in 1890-91, when they were building a subsidised track over the Lyell Bluff to the "Victor Emmanual Claim."

As far as I can tell for the Lyell in general, a lot of good gold was found in rich leaders creating a big initial spark of excitement. Once these were worked out, it was harder in most cases to drive and sink and find good paybale gold although the Alpine mine did very well. One company I think it was the Lyell Creek Extended Company spent somewhere in the region of 13 barren years driving a tunnel (over 3000 feet long) at low level from the Lyell Creek under the Alpine mine and only then did they find the reef. I think eventually these were amalgamated. Of course there was a lot of alluvial mining through the period as well.

Hello Kiwijw

Once you get to that page, scroll down to See all digital copies on national library and click that link, then new search, then type in lyell change the box that says call number to keyword relevance and that'll give you a list. There are two maps one that has New Creek in a bigger area and the other has the Lyell. Click on these then click on archived copy.

Cheers

FFF

Thanks Nugget-Hunter. I might check out one or two of those creeks.

Heading off on the bus this afternoon staying at Inanguhua Landing tonight. The rivers are up and its still raining but hopefully the forecast is right and should dry up overnight and stay dry until Saturday. I might head for the Lyell Saddle on Tuesday and come back down Wednesday as river levels settle, so should be around the campground then, but plans are flexible. If anyone should be around call me on 0278193064 but maybe no reception beyond Inanguhua. I'm likely to be back down there at some point so can check messages.

It was me that re-opened the track between Zalatown and the 8 mile. My brother and I slashed it in a morning when we were sick of pushing through the scrub or dropping down to the main bench track on our way home. It was about 20 min between Zalatown and 8 mile after we cut it. The best place to camp is in the bush at 8 mile. Zalatown is where the ground flattens out, if you cross Irismans creek, then head around the bench track to the first bend, there is a small clearing on the track. Go straight up hill and you will come to Zalatown. From there, you will pick up the top bench track we re-cut to 8 Mile. There is a zig zag down the hill to a campsite about, where the track dies out. Not ideal if your a sleep walker, as you will camp among the adits. I took a historian there and we found the old pub (marked by a flight of stairs and a sone wall) and a few bits and pieces.

Auzex has carried out a drilling program since, so things might have changed.

I worked there for about 6 weeks for Auzex. Its a neat place, we panned some gold out of Irishmans creek one afternoon for a laugh, from the waterfall just below the bench track.

If your wandering in the bush there, watch your step, there are unmarked adits among the crown fern.

Hi folks

Got back yesterday. Had an excellent few days up there apart from not finding lots of gold. Perhaps some better planning as I pushed and hauled an overloaded bicycle up the track. Walkers would have been overtaking me. The aluminium pannier rack was unstable and eventually broke (though I was able to save it with duct tape). The result being as I pushed on into the late arvo, I reached the first big slip after the 8 mile and called it a day. Found a not so steep spot and set up tent. That was my favourite camp spot. I heard a kiwi just before dawn and some other melodic bird I have no idea what it was. Not a tui either. After coffee brew still in my sleeping bag, I tramped up a bit but decided to turn back and try a few panfuls in some of the old mining areas ( found specks especially Irishmans lots of overburden). Saw a few artifacts and an old very narrow tunnel at the Tyrconnel Mine which they tried to reopen in the 1960s. There were hotels and even a school up there at Gibbstown. Part of the trouble back in the 1870s was the lack of tracks, so they built Zalatown and later moved to Gibbstown when the track came through. Only later in the mid 80s to 90s, did they get much assistance in track building from local government.

So the Saddle and the head of the Mokihinui remain for another time. Biking all the way through the Ghost Road would be too hard for my usual style of taking everything on the bike from tent, stove to mining equipment. If going by bike, carrying food and a sleeping bag and little else would be enough weightwise and staying in the new huts would be maybe the best way.

Next day I scraped and dug my way up the Lyell and then up one of the tributaries from Manuka Flat. Steep with loads of wee waterfalls. Up the top it was nearly all granite. It appeared to be cemented pebbles and boulders of granite with occasional blocks of quartz and other rock. Didn't find anything up there, but it was an interesting gully.

My attempt to go up New Creek was soon thwarted by the landowner turning down my access request. She said they used to let everyone through but had had too much trouble with people getting lost. Perhaps it took me too long to communicate that I wasn't planning to cycle it.

So at this stage I decided to cycle back to Reefton and stayed at Slab Hut creek for a night. Weather was fantastic for 4 days. Moral to the story is always carry duct tape and though very little gold to show for it, it got me there and that was enough.

Hi I called in at the lyell at 8.30am thursday,saw your tent and bike there and gave a couple of shouts but no one appeared to be around .I waited a while then decided to head off up the track to irishmans creek and zalatown. The track to zalatown has a few new snowfallen trees over it so the going was a bit slow. From zalatown followed the bench track round to the eight mile creek. Passed a helipad and a polythene pipe that went all the way to eight mile. Back down the track to gibbstown then down the hill to the old alpine battery.Not much left of this these days but the large pelton wheel is still there. Only a short distance from there back to irishmans creek and had a few pans there.Got a few colours but nothing of any size. The old hut just downstream from irishmans creek is still standing but some idiot has smashed all the windows.The old track out from there to the croesus battery is getting a bit tricky in places but not to bad.Got back to the vehicle and your bike was gone so sorry I missed you.Its a great place with a lot of history. Ian.

wow man thats an awesome wee yarn and some great pics..that place sounds fantastic (apart from the lack of gold lol) very cool tho and thanks for sharing :)

Dan