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Big Flood June 2, 2013

simon		Posted : Sunday, 2 June 2013 8:25:39 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 7/01/2011(UTC) Posts: 789 Location: Central Otago Thanks: 33 times Was thanked: 239 time(s) in 150 post(s)		I have been watching the ORC website today. there's been some pretty heavy rain here all day in Queenstown which has melted all the snow that fell at the start of the week. Well, i made it out to the Shotover down at the oxenbridge tunnel just on dusk. had to scramble thru the bushes in the half light and across the base of the sluicings at the river was so high. pretty quiet as it was so wide. up by the tunnel was a different story. the tunnel was full but the river itself coming out of the gorge was many metres higher than the river once spread over the beaches. a very impressive sight. unfortunately left the camera behind. i was there when it was about 550 cumecs, i see its now around 600. i may get some pics tommorrow morning it anyone is interested. might go out to the 12 mile too as i hear that is raging again.
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Metal Kiwi		Posted : Sunday, 2 June 2013 9:27:11 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 19/06/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,210 Location: Auckland Thanks: 498 times Was thanked: 484 time(s) in 322 post(s)		Looking forward to your pics Simon. MK
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gavin		Posted : Sunday, 2 June 2013 9:40:51 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Administrators, Registered Joined: 20/02/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,326 Location: Christchurch Thanks: 736 times Was thanked: 535 time(s) in 287 post(s)		Cheers Simon - would be awesome to see some pics of such and angry looking river. I'm familiar with the river so quite keen to see what it looks like when it's going off!
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Lammerlaw		Posted : Sunday, 2 June 2013 9:51:50 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 24/05/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,721 Thanks: 72 times Was thanked: 579 time(s) in 396 post(s)		Yes please Simon - look forward to seeing your photos.

andy		Posted : Sunday, 2 June 2013 9:57:56 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 13/12/2012(UTC) Posts: 471 Location: ngongotaha rotorua Thanks: 70 times Was thanked: 88 time(s) in 72 post(s)		would raging waters like this expose some gold or cover it over with new gravel?
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oroplata		Posted : Sunday, 2 June 2013 10:03:12 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered, Moderators Joined: 16/06/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,040 Location: Christchurch Thanks: 23 times Was thanked: 211 time(s) in 152 post(s)		Yes, and yes, and also move gold around.
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simon		Posted : Sunday, 2 June 2013 10:08:42 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 7/01/2011(UTC) Posts: 789 Location: Central Otago Thanks: 33 times Was thanked: 239 time(s) in 150 post(s)		there is always new flood gold in this section of river. i would think a fair bit will be pulled through the gorge and dumped ashore. usually its in the grey flood silts just on the surface. gold in this spot is all very fine, a result of its rough ride through the gorges. the beaches here are the first wider area for the heavies to settle anywhere. i have a go pro hd camera so will take that out also. not sure how i'm going to get up to the tunnel as when i was there tonight it was pretty tight getting past the steep sluiced faces. might have to sneak up and over the top. it's so bloody dripping wet in the undergrowth. even the side trickle of a stream on the path in was raging whitewater. got to be a bit of new bedrock exposed after this one.
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Lammerlaw		Posted : Sunday, 2 June 2013 10:12:39 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 24/05/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,721 Thanks: 72 times Was thanked: 579 time(s) in 396 post(s)		Originally Posted by: andy would raging waters like this expose some gold or cover it over with new gravel? Perhaps not as much as you would like but as Oroplata said yes and yes but it will not move the gold to any great extent - it can scour out banks thus exposing gold that had not been exposed or it can move gravel and rocks from bedrock that has never been exposed - I have seen gold nuggets on several occasions exposed by floods - I saw the gold before I got to the spot on several occasions glinting in the sun. In 1963 as a school kid I found a crevice in the Arrow river and worked it for 8 grams of gold. I went back to it in January 1977 thinking that it would have been replenished by the floods during the intervening period but there was only one colour in it. I also came to the conclusion that the 8 grams, being fine was all that had accumulated since it was worked during the gold rush days.

treeman		Posted : Monday, 3 June 2013 12:50:42 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Nugget Groups: Registered Joined: 1/02/2012(UTC) Posts: 32 Location: Arrowtown, Thanks: 10 times Was thanked: 16 time(s) in 11 post(s)		she was running real high angry and dirty so there will be some major changes i would think. its 1145 at night and still raining where I live now and its not far from the shotover. cheers treeman

oroplata		Posted : Monday, 3 June 2013 12:55:22 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered, Moderators Joined: 16/06/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,040 Location: Christchurch Thanks: 23 times Was thanked: 211 time(s) in 152 post(s)		Yep. The rain is heading up the island - hits CHCH in the morning.
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zimbo		Posted : Monday, 3 June 2013 11:55:06 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Nugget Groups: Registered Joined: 22/03/2011(UTC) Posts: 72 Thanks: 5 times Was thanked: 29 time(s) in 18 post(s)		here are some pictures of the arrow in flood taken this morning Edited by user Monday, 3 June 2013 11:57:47 AM(UTC) \| Reason: Not specified File Attachment(s): SAM_2205.JPG SAM_2207.JPG SAM_2210.JPG SAM_2211.JPG SAM_2213.JPG SAM_2221.JPG

Moonlight Picker		Posted : Monday, 3 June 2013 2:13:13 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Nugget Groups: Registered Joined: 30/01/2013(UTC) Posts: 48 Location: ashburton Thanks: 4 times Was thanked: 1 time(s) in 1 post(s)		see on the Kawarau catchment water flow, on the shotover got up to 600. cumecs that getting high. in may 2009 it was 500.cu & in oct 1978 it got up to 900. cu, that's same water coming down

treeman		Posted : Monday, 3 June 2013 4:10:46 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Nugget Groups: Registered Joined: 1/02/2012(UTC) Posts: 32 Location: Arrowtown, Thanks: 10 times Was thanked: 16 time(s) in 11 post(s)		I love it when a river cleans, I was playing golf at Arrowtown Saturday last week and could hear a small dredge working, the golf was that bad should have gone down for a look but was winning the beer.

gavin		Posted : Monday, 3 June 2013 5:17:11 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Administrators, Registered Joined: 20/02/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,326 Location: Christchurch Thanks: 736 times Was thanked: 535 time(s) in 287 post(s)		Originally Posted by: zimbo here are some pictures of the arrow in flood taken this morning Would make the drive up to Macetown a little more interesting! :P
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Hex		Posted : Tuesday, 4 June 2013 11:47:32 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Dust Groups: Registered Joined: 29/05/2013(UTC) Posts: 1 Location: Queenstown		Morning guys, when we be a good time to head back to the Arrow? Would you give it another day for the flood water to subside? How long does it take that river to return to 'normal' depths? Im located in Frankton so if anyone is heading out for a look around I'd be keen to tag along.

kiwikeith		Posted : Tuesday, 4 June 2013 4:39:19 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 28/06/2011(UTC) Posts: 648 Location: hector Thanks: 359 times Was thanked: 230 time(s) in 154 post(s)		the buller is up as well half way up the face at hawks crag couldn't get to the traps up the boatmans today due to a high river normally don't even get wet feet

simon		Posted : Wednesday, 5 June 2013 11:43:03 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 7/01/2011(UTC) Posts: 789 Location: Central Otago Thanks: 33 times Was thanked: 239 time(s) in 150 post(s)		Here is 3 photos from the Shotover. I got out there at daybreak but the river had already dropped to about 380 cumecs. It got up to 600. when i was there the night before it was impressive at 550 but it had lost its power through the gorge when i got back. was still a sight worth seeing. in the photo with the tractor you can see how much silt was deposited on shotover jet's beach. another shot shows the shotover jet wharf reappearing. when i got there you could hardly see it. this was only about 40 minutes later. shows how quick it goes up and down. the 3rd shot is the tunnel on the left, the natural river bed on the right. when the tunnel is chocker the remaining river water is forced back thru its old natural bed. this is full of house sized boulders. you couldn't see these at all. at 600 cumecs i'd say the river was 3 to 4 metres higher at the gorge outlet than on the flat by the tunnel. File Attachment(s): _DSC0558.jpg _DSC0557.jpg _DSC0501.jpg
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Lammerlaw		Posted : Wednesday, 5 June 2013 12:19:28 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 24/05/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,721 Thanks: 72 times Was thanked: 579 time(s) in 396 post(s)		Great photos Simon - I wonder what level up the cliffs the big flood of 1863 got to and also the ones which have been as high as the Power station at Roaring Meg which has happened on the odd occasion - last one may have been in 1999 though I am unsure of that.

simon		Posted : Wednesday, 5 June 2013 2:59:38 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 7/01/2011(UTC) Posts: 789 Location: Central Otago Thanks: 33 times Was thanked: 239 time(s) in 150 post(s)		Lammerlaw, I can only imagine how much worse those first big floods would have been once the miners had disturbed the riverbeds and loosened it all up. If you look under the big willow (this is right behind where the photo of the river with the tunnel and engine was taken) you can see the tide marks of many floods. well, several of the big ones. these are against the big sluicings. i'm not sure when the area was sluiced so the big flood events after that. I've seen the powerhouse flooded at the roaring meg and the water up pretty close to it many times. thats a fair few metres higher than the usual flow! Down by the natural bridge site is a good spot to view the river squeezing thru too. there's quite a few tracks down there.
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Lammerlaw		Posted : Wednesday, 5 June 2013 3:30:58 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 24/05/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,721 Thanks: 72 times Was thanked: 579 time(s) in 396 post(s)		Originally Posted by: simon Lammerlaw, I can only imagine how much worse those first big floods would have been once the miners had disturbed the riverbeds and loosened it all up. If you look under the big willow (this is right behind where the photo of the river with the tunnel and engine was taken) you can see the tide marks of many floods. well, several of the big ones. these are against the big sluicings. i'm not sure when the area was sluiced so the big flood events after that. I've seen the powerhouse flooded at the roaring meg and the water up pretty close to it many times. thats a fair few metres higher than the usual flow! Down by the natural bridge site is a good spot to view the river squeezing thru too. there's quite a few tracks down there. My son who is also a forum member though ten thousand times more secretive than me has in the past caused me to be somewhat anxious about his photopraphs - right up beside where the river goes through this gap if you can call it that where the river squeezes through and under in his kayak. I dont think it is a spot for the faint hearted to be playing in kayaks or anything else for that matter!

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