Cumberland Mine (Exchange), Reefton, Buller District, West Coast Region, New Zealandi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Cumberland Mine (Exchange) | Mine |
| Reefton | Town |
| Buller District | District |
| West Coast Region | Region |
| New Zealand | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
42° 12' 46'' South , 171° 55' 33'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Reefton | 980 (2011) | 11.8km |
| Gloriavale Christian Church | 570 (2017) | 47.3km |
| Murchison | 624 (2011) | 56.9km |
| Westport | 3,629 (2013) | 57.7km |
The Cumberland battery mine site is part of the Big River walk, a two day trek from the Inangahua Swing Bridge picnic area, on State Highway 7, east of Reefton, to the Waiuta ghost-town. Little appears to remain of the 15 head Cumberland battery, apart from being marked with a sign. The Golden Lead battery is a 30 minute walk further down the track. The Cumberland Mine site is up the hill to the north by about one kilometre in thick forest.
The lode was discovered by Robert Lees mid 1890, when trying to trace the northward continuation of the lode at the Golden Lead lease. It consists of a flat lying quartz body, containing two veins, each four feet thick, separated by 14 feet of mullock. The upper parts of the quartz is stained red from limonite or hematite oxidisation, while the lower parts are bluish quartz and un-oxidised. The lode is said to be greatly disturbed and faulted.
An adit was driven, 30 feet long, below the outcrop, an inclined shaft down to a depth of 64 feet, and vertical shaft to 220 feet down. The most active years for the Cumberland was the early 1890's. Henderson (1917) states it was the best performer for gold obtained in the Merrijigs group of mines. The mine produced 13 800 pounds in dividends to shareholders over a five year period.
The Exchange claim was immediately to the north, and both were run by separate companies, until 1898 when they amalgamated as the Industry Company. The Exchange had two adits, the first showing a very broken lode 3 feet thick, the second a lode 6 inches to 2 feet thick. The Industry Company drove a new adit level with the road. The adit passed through a thin coal seam, reaching the auriferous quartz reef after 300 feet. In 1898 a cyanide plant was erected by a syndicate intent on reprocessing the tailings produced by the battery. It was one of the first in the district, proving the old style batteries were losing half the gold to the tailings.
Both mines were taken over by the Golden Lead, which in turn was liquidated.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Native Gold Formula: Au |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Native Gold | 1.AA.05 | Au |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| Au | Gold | |
|---|---|---|
| Au | ⓘ Native Gold | Au |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
Australian PlateTectonic Plate
- Buller TerraneAccretionary Complex
New Zealand
- South IslandIsland
- Southern AlpsMountain Range
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