New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

I first went there in 1970 I think it would be and remember a huge amount of fine gold in cracks and crevices, the product of floods and material deposited from gravels washing down from the various workings during the goldrush era. I never really had the gear to work it but did go back a couple of years later, possibly 1972 and found that all the easily accessible cracks had been well and truly worked right up the creek. At about this time a claim may have been taken out on this creek, possibly by a woman though I dont know. In about 1975 or even as late as 1977 my uncle had permission to go up there and I remember a couple of his trips. One trip he took another fellow and promised him the entire days take - the yield for the days was from two crevices and amounted to 3/4 troy ounce from the first crevice and 3/4 troy ounce from the second so 1 1/2 ounces all of which he gave away.

About this time four of us went up including my uncle who had sought permission - I remember going ahead with my rifle in case of deer or goats and walking around the corner walked slap bang into a scene I shall never forget - a naked woman spread eagled on a rock like a starfish and a male about to do nefarious things to her. They hadnt seen me so I had a good perve then backed off down the creek and started whistling a merry tune as I headed up again - that gave them a warning and when I went back around the bend she had her togs on as did he. The grin that she gave me however was so supercilious that I couldnt prevent myself from saying something like "Hell your pimply down there but I love the bush" - her face sure changed then and went redder than a cherry blossom...sorta like a beetroot!

We got 1 troy ounce plus 8dwt (about 43grammes) that day all out of one crevice - I still have about 8dwt (about 12grammes) here including a 4dwt (6gramme) nugget. We had carried away up the creek one of my uncles dredges and the crevice we worked was a deep overhanging one.

Years later I went back up there but found nothing as it had been well skinned during the 1970s and by the end of the 80s

Edited by user Friday, 7 October 2011 5:14:43 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Yes well - you see all sorts of different pussies in the bush and wide open spaces I guess - the four legged ones are crow bait and the other ones tend to distract me from any form of mining except crevicing.

My uncle was a tremendous chap and if you can access this article you will see him nearly fifty years ago in the river

http://golddredgingforum...on=display&thread=82

He is the chap on the left in the second photo. I never liked the one on the right and the third partner who was Jack White son of Robert White master of the Sandhills gold dredge and grandson of Aspinal of Skippers Canyon asked me if he could come with me when my uncle died. My uncle used to go to Arrowtown on holiday while his partners did their own thing but my uncle once got in a single day 8 ounces under the Arrow River bridge when he was on his own. The story goes that the partner was jealous and asked for half 'because they were partners' - my uncle never said a thing - he just weighed out half - he was that sort of bloke...he used to give large amounts away all the time to people who he thought might like a gold sample.

As for giving gold away I have never worked out how it happened but I was working in Waimate at the time and after a gold mining trip down south I arrived back in Waimate and was at a cousins place and looked at the floor of my Landrover and it had gold on it, a lot of small nuggets the size of match heads. I dont know how many must have fallen out between Dunedin and Waimate as the floor was never bolted down - it had to be easily taken out due to the number of breakdowns requiring the removal of the floors and seats to get at gearbox, clutch etc. I have no idea how on earth they got there but can only assume they fell out of the dredge sluice box which I had in there when I was down south. I bottled them all up into little bottles and gave them away to kids - not so long ago a woman I know said to me how she treasured the gold I had given her as a child...I said "Did I?" and she went to get it..."Bloody hell" says I "did I give you that" - there was a full two pennyweight in the bottle I gave her alone. When I last saw her she had a pet dog...she also had a gorgeous - 'cat'

I am 99% certain that the dredge in the photo is the one I have used since about 1980 and it has over the years possibly recovered around 300 ounces of gold...no records were ever kept except that I did keep a record for the summer of 84. I used to swap gold left, right and centre for old things I liked...such is life!

Edited by user Friday, 7 October 2011 6:26:14 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified