Supreme Mine (Big Blow; Golden Gully Workings), Reefton, Buller District, West Coast Region, New Zealandi

Regional Level Types
Supreme Mine (Big Blow; Golden Gully Workings)	Mine
Reefton	Town
Buller District	District
West Coast Region	Region
New Zealand	Country

In February 1872, the Adams brothers discovered Big Blow near the head waters of Rainy Creek.

It was not until 1876 that the first crushing eventuated by the Rainy Creek Company, due to the remote site, difficult terrain, and low grades of gold found. The crushings through their 15 head battery were poorer than expected, at 2 dwt per tonne, and the company collapsed. Graham and Allen (surnames) who had erected the battery, purchased the mine and mill for a nominal sum. Mining continued intermittently for poor results.

Big Blow was the unofficial name allocated to the site in reference to the largest quartz area found in the Reefton district at 100 feet wide, 150 feet long, and 30 feet protruding above the surface, with broken outcrops to the south by 300 feet, and irregular ore bodies north by 200 feet. The lode strikes north north-east and dips 65 degrees south-east to east. Under the surface the body was said to be shaped like a ship's hull. The Big Blow-Supreme together were called the Golden Gully Workings.

A winze was sunk 40 feet, and later a drive 360 long, below the outcrop. Some good ore was found on the western boundary of the lease in 1888, while an 1893 crushing from a new winze saw poor results. In 1897 the New Inkerman Mines Company did extensive development work driving the No. 2 and 3 levels at the Supreme lease, for little result.

Chalcopyrite, stibnite, and molybdenite have been reported from the workings. There is a central core of auriferous quartz veins, surrounded by a halo of refractory sulphides with gold mineralisation

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