New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

I found two potential book matches...

New Zealand's Legendary Lost Ruby Mine: http://christchurch.bibliocommons.com/item/show/505174037_new_zealands_legendary_lost_ruby_mine

The Lost Ruby Mine: http://christchurch.bibliocommons.com/item/show/481023037_the_lost_ruby_mine

Gav ;)

One of those links mentioned that the book contained "Includes transcription of article by Walter Murray from Otago witness, 1897." So I did a quick search of the Paperspast site and came up with a copy of it in the newspaper:

http://paperspast.natlib...---0ruby+Walter+Murray--


Interesting reading and defiantly sounds like a source the matrix he found did indeed contain rubies.

Oh yeah, the "discovery" is mentioned about 1/2 way down in the article.

Edited by user Monday, 5 September 2011 6:28:18 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Hi Graeme

Found this thread looking for the one you keep referring to in your Eldorado novel (which i havent found yet) and I thought i might put my 2 cents in.

I have been passed on a small book from a workmate called Minerals and Gems of Maoriland by W. M. Campbell that may be of interest, it has an A-Z of NZ minerals and locations that they can be found as well as photographs, specific info on around 54 more common minerals and plenty of other info for the rockhound.
For example it states that at Waipori you may also come across Arsenic, Cervantite, Spinel, Stibnite, Topaz, and Wolframite (tungstate of manganese) in Lammerlaw creek.

On the Ruby subject you may find:
- Goodletite and rubys at Rimu Flat, Westland
- Rubys at Kanieri Forks and Olderog Creek in the Whitecombe Valley
Im sure it also said something about the Grey River which i cannot seem to find anymore.

I have a mate who has a vial, the contents seem to be 2x Rubys approx 8mm each in size that were passed down/found when his grandfather passed away. He was told by his grandfather a rough location and story when he was young and was sworn to secrecy, apparently has grandfather never told another soul.
the Rubys were taken by another mate to the Otago museum who held them for a while and eventually told us they were just melted glass. I know rubys have a hardness of 9 and a specific gravity of 4 (the book also has this information) so I have tried to scratch glass with one (it does easily) but i cant think of a common household material with a hardness of 7-8 to next try it on.

Regarding your Eldorado memory's i thoroughly enjoy reading your threads (sometimes rereading when you haven't added anything for a while) and would love to have a play in your back yard someday...... I am very fresh in the art of mining but it gives me an excuse to get away from work, the city, the couch and into the rivers and hills, currently i am trying to find something more impressive than the flood gold i keep getting in very small amounts and your stories keep driving me futher and deeper in the search for the place that ticks all the boxes.

Hope this is of interest to you.

Ari

I find it intriguing that you call it a novel when it is only a partial story of what indeed took place up there - Due to the Statute of limitations or the lack of it in Kiwiland I have not told the full story and had I done so then you might have less believed it. Let me assure you that what I have told here is a true and correct but sanitized version of some great days in the hills away from society and in a place where I truly got the peace and quiet I have always loved with the exception of the odd crisis that occurred

As for Lammerlaw Creek it is owned by Waipori Station and Thornicroft Station and is now virtually inaccessible - the headwaters are accessible to the friends of the owner and those who prove that they have the right cut to their sails. One particular headwaters branch show signs of other minerals but they have not really been analysed though cinnabar sands have been retained when found.

Another branch which is only freshly eroded has produced microspherules which may have emanated from the Yucatan peninsular Meteor impact or even the Mahuika one - I find these the most fascinating of all the minerals and geological specimens I have found.

Edited by user Friday, 14 September 2012 8:46:12 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Hi Icemaneli, ordinary knife steel old green river, or a modern stainless blade has a hardness of just under 7 and good greenstone comes in at just over 7, if that is any help.

Hi Lammerlaw, Please don't take offence too easily at what one person says, he may not have even meant to imply it was a work of fiction, but only that it was long, as in a book. Incorrect usage I know, but highly likely these days. My partner was brought up by Dutch parents, and has picked up some very weird ways of speaking. Anyway, even if he did mean it that way, no need to stop entertaining the rest of us with your obviously factual recollections, there are always one or two knockers out there, no matter what we attempt in life, just ignore the buggers. You have many admirers out here, of which I am one. You have a great ability with writing and an excellent sense of humour too. So keep it up if you can, there are many out here who appreciate the effort.

NUGGY

I appologise for the poor wording, in no way was i describing or trying to describe your writings as fictional just that i find them a great read and as NUGGY pointed out they are ........um.......long (descriptive, informative, captivating)- they would make an amazing book if one day compiled together.

Your apology A.J. is happily accepted as I read and reread you initial statement doing a great deal of soul searching in relationship to my initial response and as you see I deleted that initial response and completely changed it.

I liked the remainder of what you wrote and decided that it may have been a grammatical faux pas so all is well that ends well.

Where the hell is the nice smile Icon - GAVIN - where the hell is the icons so i can sent one to A.J.

Hi Shane - havent forgotten you - If the information in all the books on New Zealand geology, gemstones etc was collated into one handy resource together with photographs then it would be a handy compendium of what can be found where.

When I was a kid I bought a handy little book called 'Minerals and Gems of Maoriland' By W.M.Campbell - it is not complete or definitive but it was and still is a handy little book to have.

It seems that those small garnet/rubys are quite prolific, turning up in GOLD pans/creeks all through NZ. Chrisyboy founds plenty of them up here in the north as well as other unidentified gems and stones. I would say that we have good recources here that are well concealed or yet to be discovered.
.

Edited by user Friday, 21 September 2012 9:25:45 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified