New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

Yes, well what more can I say? - Thats why the accursed stuff was brought out here. If I could go back a hundred and sixty five years the amount of gorse seed lying around my place would make me the richest person in New Zealand as it was worth its weight in gold when it was first brought here...personally I would like to dig up the bloke who brought it here and hang him - he might already be dead and gone but it would still make me feel good!

When Governor Grey devised a plan to divide crown lands into small areas to be made available to men of limited means one of the conditions was that a specified length of live hedge, either gorse or hawthorn was to be grown...the fact that the Governor just happened to be a Laudanum addict could account for that decision!

Thats great Chris - I love it...you have done an ace job. I will spend some time looking at the site you have set up for them as I know some of the people I see in the photos already and it also relates to an area I spend some time in.

You certainly have the idea of what is needed - I have just got myself a camera so must get up the hill and take some photos - my son took it up onto the mountain both days last week and other than the photos of him and the young fellow shooting I didnt take any photos at all...I think looking for gold sort of took precedence.

You had better get down here with Robert though nothing guaranteed with the gold as I am sure you can imagine but you never know...did I say somewhere earlier that if I cant go up there when you guys are available then you can get key and go yourselves and I will point out some spots that are more likely than the others on a map.

The gorse on my place got there over the years just by slowly spreading up the gullies and I believe may have originally been planted further down the creek for a fast firewood source back in the pioneer days - E.W. - can you confirm or deny this - I know you arent a forum member but I can see you sitting grinning like the Cheshire cat on the other side of the screen!

The digger - yes I like the idea but really dont know how successful it would be on gold and the digger would take a lifetime to sort it out. Just last weekend I did mention to my son or a friend that "I wish I had a digger up here" but that particular spot would take a week of track cutting to get there and is in part of my place protected by a covenant. There isnt enough water there to run a sluice box of the size a digger would supply gravel to...in fact theres not enough water there to run a 100gpm pump at the moment.

Down in the main stream I dont think there would be enough gold to justify a diggers use with some possible exceptions - one of those exceptions was worked during the depression by a miner or couple of miners but I am not sure how much gold they got - possibly 6 ounces in ten weeks or 10 ounces in six weeks but I really dont know.

The photos on my other thread were not taken on my place but on a claim we had a couple or three miles from my place.

Edited by user Monday, 12 December 2011 11:56:15 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

True. 4 ton isn't really big enough for gorse clearing either. But it sure beats using a crowbar to move rocks lol

The websites are easy enough to set up though if you decide to go down that route.

If I didn't live at the other end of the island I'd be keen on a lease deal for a few weeks to have a play.

morning graham
gorse the curse of my life you ort to see my legs from the last week what with that and cutty grass i come out of the bush with blood running down my knees
i can recall ready an out news paper cutting once that it said "buy your gorse seed from where ever and plant your head guts ready for winter feeding"
been working the darkies terrace and cemetery hill at charleston the last couple of days and its covered in the stuff
also been flying in a copper round the heaphy track area getting dropped of and having to wall out long days but good to get away from the gorse

no sign of gold workings in the area DOSE ANYONE KNOW OF GOLD UP THERE?

heading up to the bucklands hut today this time i have to walk

Hey Graham,
On the idea of clearing some of that gorse, you could offer people to come and pan or sluice for a couple of days at a time in exchange for people spending a day or 2 clearing some of the asshole of the plant world. I would definately be keen on an arrangement like that once my back has finished mending if it's still yours.

Also I would be keen to see you write and put together a book. I have a friend that is a book binder/printer so if you do ever decide to go down that route let me know and I can get mates rates for printing and binding.

I think this is my favourite thread on this site. Keep it coming mate a?

Another revolver which was found on the Gold fields was an interesting weapon known as a 'Pinfire' revolver. Although some were made in Britain most are European and although found with markings indicating French, German or Belgium manufacture most are the latter. They came in 5mm, 7mm, 9mm, 12mm and very occasionally 15mm...the 15mm being a veritable hand cannon.

If a person was to be seen carrying a pinfire revolver then it might be safely assumed that he came from mainland Europe. The ammunition was made fairly widely, in Europe of course, Britain and in the US for a time. They had the tremendous advantage over the percussion pistols of being very quickly loaded with water proof ammunition but the downside was the supply of ammunition - out in the back of beyond where you might need the gun it could be next to impossible to replace ammunition once it was gone.

These were better than the percussion revolvers of the same era in that they took an actual cartridge but it was advisable to keep the cartridges in their specially made trays in the tin as each bullet had its own firing pin and to place a pocketful of loose cartridges into ones pocket and then fall over could have disastrous consequences. The pinfire cartridge was invented very early, about 1823, so revolutionary for their day.

5mm ones were good for - flies on rocks, mosquitos, maggots, mice and sandflies and thats about all - even as items of intimidation about all they would provoke would be laughter

Many miners might have carried a 7mm and these were certainly popular with women who carried them tucked away in their clothing. Many men may have also carried 7mm or 9mm pinfires but a miner with a background in one of the European military services would have known the value of the heavier 12mm military pinfire pistols and these were indeed good weapons.

The larger gun illustrated was picked up in Otago so may have been carried in the gold fields - it is a military 12mm while the smaller one is a folding trigger 7mm.

As a matter of interest I was asked to give an opinion of one found on the shores of Lake Waihola on the Taieri Plains not so long ago. It was so rusted that it had more or less completely oxidised but was clearly a pistol identical to the top one illustrated here. In view of the fact that is was found along the route to the goldfields I wondered if it had been lost either going to or from the goldfields.

I very strongly suspect that the 7mm calibre Pinfire revolver was the most popular single type of firearm found on the Goldfields although in total heavily outnumbered by all of the percussion pistols - my reasoning? The number found which obviously are not imports to satiate the collector market since the early 1970s - one was found many years ago in an old desk in a Dunedin Insurance Company store room, one was found in the ceiling of an old house in South Dunedin, one was found just recently in the basement of an old house once again in Dunedin.

Edited by user Wednesday, 14 December 2011 8:44:56 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

You smiled as you wrote that comment about the bath...do I write 'touche'

Methinks the bath tub is to have baths in but me also thinks its got a crack in the bottom because some dumcluck dropped it over the bank! Nothing like sitting out in the open, in a bath, nice hot water - and the snow is falling all around you...near perfection.

Edited by user Wednesday, 14 December 2011 12:12:36 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

beautiful old weapons and great history love it all!!

I too would welcome a chance to detect or pan for clearing gorse and maybe helping singe a wild pig :)

And I agree you really should write a book about your adventures...was just reading Barry crump saying how it took visiting 3 publishers before the 4th said yes they'd print a good keen man...275,000 copies later its still enjoyed..

and gold is so much more alluring to read about :)

Two or three to go yet Chris.