Tairua opal mine, Tairua, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato Region, New Zealandi

Regional Level Types
Tairua opal mine	- not defined -
Tairua	Town
Thames-Coromandel District	District
Waikato Region	Region
New Zealand	Country

The first news found of opals at this site was 1897, stating the Opal Mining Company was obtaining blocks of stone traversed by opal veins. In 1898 it is reported Blair, Tregoweth and party are mining the stone. In the same year another of the party writes to a newspaper stating stone from the mine is on display at the Mines Department in Auckland, and requesting investment as they had run out of capital.

All falls silent until 1912. In this year newspapers report the site as a new discovery of precious opal (having ignored their own reports in 1897-1898). One at least explains the site is a private farm, which limited prior development, however it had now been purchased by a syndicate who plan to form a company.

Journalists wax lyrical about the gemstones being found. They come in blues, bluey-green, purple, fiery reds, multi-coloured or what is termed black opal, with iridescence, and brilliant flashing colours. Some is opaque or probably what is termed potch. Bore holes are sunk surrounding the original reef, and we are told in one solid opal 33 feet thick was uncovered. The outcropping reef contains masses of opal in a sinter formation. The opal bearing outcrop is 800 feet long by 300 feet wide, running up a ragged cone or cap 150 feet above the surrounding plain, opal in boulders on the surface everywhere, scintillating in the sun. The whole hill we are told is one opal infused strata. The opal is better than Australian opal, and in fact un-equalled in the world. There is so much opal, making jewellery alone out of it, would not use all the opal in a lifetime.

Specimens go on public display. Various experts report it is true precious opal. A. Jarman states the opal is streaked with cloudy hydrophane to true opal. Leslie McArthur states it is opal matrix in rhyolite andesite, traversed by chalcedony. A. Larsen, a lapidarist from Auckland declares it true precious opal, supported by un-named opal miners who arrive from the opal fields in Australia. The Tairua Opal Limited is formed in 1912, and there is a rush on the shares. The gushing of the experts on how profitable the new opal mine will be, leads to a suspicion that they have a financial interest in the enterprise, but this remains speculation. The New Zealand Geological Survey states in 1913, that it is precious opal but difficult to extract from the matrix, but says no more.

We would now expect a large amount of information about mining development, and how New Zealand has flooded the world with opals. The silence is deafening. The next report is 1929, however the description of the deposit is very different. It states precious opal occurs in small veins in an outcrop of sinter or rhyolite, with several parcels around 1912 sent to Germany. There are frequent finds of opal fragments in nearby rivers at the time. Peter and Jocelyn Thornton in 1985 are even more dismissive, stating the deposit was small, and the opal even smaller. A picture shows three very small specimens with possibly precious opal pin-head size through the rock.

The only conclusion that can be reached as to the original reports, is a small amount of impressive stone was uncovered for public display, while the rest of the information was an outright speculation con.

The deposit is near the confluence of the Tairua River and Hikuai Stream, on what was at the time Marsh's farm, on a hill near the confluence. Mindat co-ordinates are therefore very approximate. Other parts of New Zealand are not known for precious opal deposits. (2018, Similar material eg thin seams and small lenses of precious opal, is now known from Mayor Island and also from the Ongaroto Road flood deposits in Whakamaru)

According to Railton & Watters, minor amounts of opal were found in the area but believe that most of the opal "found" was in fact of Australian origin.

The present status of this deposit (2018) is that the farmer is rumoured to have dynamited the outcrop some years back (pre 2000) due to constant requests for access and also a large number of unauthorised entries.

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