Otago Region, New Zealandi

Regional Level Types
Otago Region	Region
New Zealand	Country

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The Otago Region covers the southern eastern portion of the South Island from the coast to the Southern Alps. Its includes the city of Dunedin, coastal town of Oamaru, and inland towns Lawrence, Cromwell, Alexandra, and the tourism hub Queenstown.

The region contains Gabriels Gully, gold discovered here in 1861, leading to a major gold rush. Many other gold bearing areas were discovered in the region across the following two years. Away from the coast, most places are a short drive from a historic gold location.

Individual miners in the 1860's initially panned the rivers, then ground sluiced neighbouring terraces for gold contained in gravels. By the 1870's and 1880's public companies, and parties of miners who were able to raise the necessary capital, hydro sluiced these areas involving blasting the gravels with water jets, constructing water and tail races, and in some cases elevators to get to the deeper gravels. A few of the richer areas lasted into the early 20th Century.

Most of the gold found in the region was alluvial gold obtained by sluicing, and there are a large number of locations. Most contain little evidence of past activity, apart from sluiced hillsides, and resultant surrounding sediments. Arguably the easiest place to see this is St Bathans, with the added advantage of a neighbouring hotel which can be stopped at for lunch.

Some quartz lode mining also took place by public companies in the late 19th Century. These have a greater presence in the landscape due to the remaining mining relics at several locations. The easiest is the Bendigo goldfield north of Cromwell, which can be driven to. Most of the others require some walking from several hundred metres to several kilometres up a steep mountain. Some locations where battery relics and other evidence remain include Doctors Point near Alexandra; Gees Flat, and Young Australian near Cromwell; Golden Progress near Idaburn; Serpentine a remote location south-east of Ophir; the Canton Mine at Waipori; Arrowtown; the Macetown area; Invincible Mine near Glenorchy; and Skippers Canyon.

Some small scale shallow open pit alluvial mining has taken place over the past few decades at several of the old locations by small locally based companies, usually only lasting a year or two. The only large scale modern mining, and indeed the only industrial scale active gold mine on the South Island is Macraes.

In the 1890's, the region saw a dredging boom along the river flats, with 187 dredges operating along the Clutha River alone. Like sluicing this has left little behind other than some old ponds, and dredge tailings. The easiest and largest to see is at Earnscleugh near Alexandra. The minor remains of old dredges are at several locations. Some include the Dunstan Lead near Alexandra; Nevis Valley; Chatto Creek; Roxburgh; below Maori Point in the Skippers Canyon, and the Talieri near Patearoa.

Three public gold fossicking sites are found near Queenstown, another at Arrowtown, and also Gabriels Gully.

There were many small coal mines through the region in the late 19th Century, supplying coal for local domestic use and to power gold dredges. Little information was found for most. The Kaitangata coal field has lasted from the 1860's to the present day. The Shag Point coal mine on the coast has an extensive history. Many of the coal mines contained some amber, and often copious marine and plant fossils.

Minor scheelite, cinnabar and stibnite has been found at various locations in the region, sometimes associated with the gold sites. The most substantial scheelite mine was the Mount Judah Mine near Glenorchy, with much relics remaining. The most substantial antimony mine is Mt Stoker, however it is not easy to access.

Fossicking locations for mineral specimens, and indeed mineral specimens themselves are somewhat scarce from the region. A shop in Arrowtown sells locally found gold nuggets, and these have subsequently been seen on the market at times. Akatoreite in rhodonite from Akatore Creek make attractive specimens, and are sometimes seen for sale. Taranakite from Cooks Head Rock; Coombsite from Watsons Beach; various zeolites from Blackhead Quarry; agate from Nimmo's Swamp; and various semi precious species from pebbles to grain size along the east coast beaches are found in local collector's stashes of rocks. Some locations for various reasons are difficult to impossible to access.

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded from this region.

Mineral List

Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities

154 valid minerals. 2 (TL) - type locality of valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded

Rock list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities