Waikoromiko, Coromandel peninsula, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato Region, New Zealandi

Regional Level Types
Waikoromiko	- not defined -
Coromandel peninsula	Peninsula
Thames-Coromandel District	District
Waikato Region	Region
New Zealand	Country

The Waikoromiko Stream is about one kilometre east of the Kennedy Bay Road, on the eastern side of the Tokatea Range. Despite being near a road, it is rugged, thickly forested country, with no clear access these days.

In 1868, an agreement was reached with the local Maori tribe to throw the area open to gold mining. There was a rush from Auckland. The discovery of gold in the stream is credited at least by an 1868 newspaper article to a group of un-named Maoris who were picking up specimens from the creek, with the official prospectors claim awarded to McLeod (surname).

Dozens of leases were pegged in all directions, with some prospector near surface work to prove claims in the early 1870's, and many others in name only. This is not unusual for early goldfields. In fact it is impossible to list all claims for early goldfields on Mindat, sometimes amounting up to a hundred for a single area. This would essentially be a list of names only, with old gold mines listed on Mindat only where something substantial can be written.

Early prospectors had little capital or equipment, their aim to only open the deposit near the surface enough to prove gold existed, and hope a company with capital would step in, and pay them a substantial amount of money for the claim. Many of these deposits had rich near surface specimen stone, but poor grades at depth. The company having expended vast sums of shareholder money on batteries, and development work, would then go under.

By the early 1870's, some companies had formed on the Waikoromiko goldfield, the most substantial called Plutus, who erected a battery. How they managed to get the equipment into the site is still a mystery, with the track described as a mud canal, half swallowing bullock drays. In later years part of this claim became the Waikoromiko, and then Lord Charles Beresford leases, with some active mining.

The most substantial mine on the field was the Four in Hand, which formed a small company around 1896, and found rich stone, but had no battery. In 1899, the New Four in Hand Company was formed with the intention to erect a battery, combined several leases, more rich stone was found, and dividends paid. When the shoot was lost, a new low level tunnel was driven, bankrupting the company.

In 1907 a new syndicate took over, and yet another Four in Hand Company was formed in 1909, but they were out of action by 1912.

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References