Butchers Point (Butchers Gully), Alexandra, Central Otago District, Otago Region, New Zealandi

Regional Level Types
Butchers Point (Butchers Gully)	Point
Alexandra	- not defined -
Central Otago District	District
Otago Region	Region
New Zealand	Country

Old gold mining location. Butchers Point can be accessed via the Roxburgh Gorge walk/cycleway, from the end of Graveyard Gully Road, on the eastern outskirts of Alexandra. The walk follows the Clutha River south, with Butchers Point about 5 kilometres along the walkway. A couple of stone miner's huts, and gold workings remain. The walk continues another 5 kilometres to the more substantial gold mining ruins at Doctors Point.

Butchers Gully is on the western side of the river, next to State Highway 8, south of Alexandra. The gold diggings have been swamped by the Butchers Gully Reservoir, built in 1935-1937 as a water supply for Alexandra, and now used for irrigation. The location once had an 1865 store and butchers, and 1890 hotel. Chinese market gardens, and orchards, schist storeroom and surrounding staked rock fence by Lye Bow (Li Bo, Lai Tung Pou, depending on the source) are still evident. Apricot and plums trees originally planted by Lye Bow still fruit at the site.

Lye Bow supplied the local area with vegetables and fruit. He had arrived in New Zealand in 1864. His valuable water rights in Butchers Gully brought him into conflict with several local miners and the council, who wanted the water for their own purposes.

The Magnus brothers were setting up the Golden Beach Hydraulic Elevating and Dredging Company and applied to the wardens court for Lye's water. After a detailed examination, the court found Lye had prior rights to the water. The brothers sold to J.P Lane (of Lanes Cordials Dunedin) in 1905, who argued in the warden's court he needed the water for his dredging operation, employing ten people, and was more important.

The Alexandra Council was running short of water due to all the dredging operations in the district, and mayor Henry Schaumann approached Lye Bow for use of his water. In November 1907, Lye signed over to the council some of his water for 500 pounds, and a complex water system was built between Butchers Gully and the town. Lye died in 1930 from a stroke, close to 100 years of age.

The property then went through several owners. In 1931 local fruit farmer Clifford Meiklejon, 1944 Alexandra labourer Bertram Jones, local butcher Benjamin Carline, 1951 Marjorie Macdonald, 1968 Stanley and Margaret Sparrow, and 1981 Rodney and Caroline Hogg who used the property as a nursery and tea rooms.

Two years before the gold discovery at Doctors Point, Coleman (surname) is noted working for gold at Butchers Point, near the river level. However, another source one month before states the two excellent claims at the site remain un-worked due to a lack of water to process the gold.

Close-by was Frenchmans Point, which could not be located on modern maps, but is assumed also on the river. In 1877, Noble, Paget and Co, are hydro sluicing gold from wash at the location. The site had been worked previously by Michael Kett. He is noted in 1877, working Golden Gully for three years, another un-identified location, said to be on the western side of the river. Here a defined lead bordered by bedrock had been located, with hydro-sluicing, and a tunnel driven. Water was being obtained from the nearby Butchers Gully.

Mindat map shows Butchers Point.

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References