THE GOLDEN COAST

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 February 1928, Page 19 (Supplement)

THE GOLDEN COAST

Rushes of the Early Days

ONE of the romances of New Zealand commenced with the discovery of gold, and in that romance the West Coast has played one of the leading roles. The immense heaps of “tailings” which are scattered over practically every portion of Westland, and other parts of the Coast, tell their own story of the vicissitudes of the search for gold. Were it possible to recover ail the precious metal still hidden away by Nature on the Coast, the value of the gold already found, counted in millions of pounds though it is, would be far surpassed. Modern methods, and extensive capital, are required to-day. The old digger’s “cradle” has passed. That the Coast still merits the adjective, “golden,” is proved by the success which has, and is, attending the operations of the American electric dredge on the Rimu Flat.

SO far as the existing'records show, the first gold discovered in the Colony was found in the Auckland Province in 1852, During.the earlier part of that year the remarkable productiveness of the Australian goldfields had drawn public attention to the possibilities of gold deposits in this country. In October a “Reward” or “Goldfields” Committee in Auckland offered a reward of £5OO to the first person discovering “a valuable goldfield.” Within a lev/ days the reward was claimed by Mr. Charles Ring who had a short time previously returned from California, and who discovered gold in the Corothandel district. Gold in Motueka District Nelson enjoys the distinction of being the first district in the South Island to be a gold producer. The ijrst discovery in the province was made in the Motueka district in 1856. At one time no fewer than 300 men were working on the ground, and provisions rose to extravagant prices. The rush, however, was short-lived. The owners of boats plying between Nelson and Pdotueka earned a great deal of money at first in carrying passengers to the latter port and afterwards in carrying back those who had any motley left.

The Motueka rush, although it did not produce fortunes for those who took part in it, had the effect of drawing attention to the possibilities of gold mining in the Nelson district. Shortly afterwards a number of Nelson merchants, following the Auckland example, offered a reward of £5OO lor the discovery of a payable goldfield within the province. Discovery at Collingwood Early in 1857 gold was first discovered at Collingwood. The late Mr. E. James accidentally dropped on specimens of the precious metal at what afterwards was given the name of Lightfiand’s Gully, the late Mr. G. W. W. Lightband, of Erightwater, who had had some experience of digging in Australia, being the first to take steps to follow up the discovery to a payable point. This was the real beginning of gold mining in the Nelson district. Large numbers of men flocked to Collingwood, and it was estimated that there was at one time at least a thousand diggers on the field. The Provincial Government laid out the township of Collingwood, and a Resident ’Magistrate and other officials were appointed. A Courthouse, gaol and Customs* .House Officer was stationed there. But as is usually the-case with

goldfields, there were too many people, and although some of the diggers remained, the greater number left the district after a short stay on the field. The happy result of the gold discovery at Collingwood was tbe substitution of the name of Golden Bay for Massacre Bay. The “Golden Coast” What is generally believed to be the first discovery bf. gold in the Buller district was made by Mr. John Rocht'ort during" his trip, with his brother, up the Buller River in 1859. The spot at which the yellow metal was first found in this river was at the Old Diggings, about 20 miles from Westport. There is some doubt as to whether this was the first such discovery on -the West Coast, it being claimed that gold was first found at Hokitika some two years earlier. The discovery of gold in 1861, in Otago by Mr. Gabriel. Read, attracted a considerable number of people to that part of the Colony. Towards the end of 1862 large numbers of people arrived in Nelson from Sydney on their way to the Otago diggings, and a considerable number of them stayed to give the Nelson fields on the West Coast, Collingwood and Wangapeka a trial. The trial, in many cases, was not successful. Some of the men, however, did exceedingly well, and some large nuggets were brought to Nelson out* of them weighing as much as 30 ounces. When the reports of these nuggets reached Otago a great many diggers left there for Nelson, but they arrived in winter and the wet weather, and the bad roads speedily disgusted many of them, and they departed. The Provincial Government was much blamed for not holding out inducements to them to stay, and there was considerable agitation and argument as to the duties of the representatives of the people in regard to the matter. Discovery at Lyeil In 1863 there was considerable depression in Nelson. The arrival of so ' many diggers in the previous year < had raised great hopes, and some pro- i party had changed hands. The bright ; times that were anticipated did not • come, and the year was a quiet one tin- i til November, when the news of a J

rich gold find at Lyell was received. Three men who had been working at Lyell Creek brought to Nelson 1300 ounces of gold, including one nugget of 93 ounces aud another .of 50 ounces. There was, however, still the old complaint of the lack of roads, and the absence of police protection. Although about 10,000 ounces of gold was obtained at the Buller in about three months the diggers gradually left for other parts. Some gold was also found about this time in some of the tributaries of the Upper Buller, including the Mangles. The Wakamarina Rush In April, 1864, the people of Nelson were again aroused from a somewhat depressed state by the discovery of a goldfield at Wakamarina, in the Marlborough Province, but within 31 miles of Nelson. The utmost cxcite-

ment prevailed in the town, and people of all classes and occupations at once set out for the new El Dorado. The track over the Mangatapu, over which the route to the diggings lay, was traversed by mechanics, clerks, tradesmen, farmers, and others in the hope of making their fortunes. Among those who went were boys and girls of 10 and 12 years of age and men old enough to be their grandfathers. Vessels, with large numbers of passengers, arrived almost daily, both at Nelson and Picton. Townships were run up with the rapidity incidental to new goldfields, and before long Have-

lock had a staff of Government, officials, a newspaper, and other evidences of importance. Canvas Town at the mouth of the Wakamarina, also grew to considerable size. At first the Wakamarina field was very profitable to a large number of miners, but floods came, roads got bad, and the usual results followed. A certain number of the more plodding men remained, but large numbers went away. The Maungatapu murders is one of the events of 1866 which has served to keep green the memory of the Wakamarina rush. Palmy Days of Hokitika The year 1865 will ever be memorable for the rich gold discoveries on the West Coast and the enormous influx of people to that hitherto littleknown district. In January, news was received of large yields of gold, on the

? banks of the Grey and Hokitika Rivers ? and during the same.month the first ? instalment of 1300 ounces was brought i to Nelson. Every week further reports - of finds of the most extraordinary - richness were received. Early in ? March it was estimated that there ; were 5000 people in the neighbour- ’ hood of Hokitika, and a few weeks 1 -later the population was variously - stated at from 8000 to 10,000. Nelson, at that time, was placed in > a most advantageous position in re- > gard to the West Coast. There was • then no road from Hokitika to Christ-

- church, and apparently there was ’ little business enterprise in Christl church. Nelson was a resting place » for the great proportion of the men who were on their way. to the gdld- ; fields, and diggers’ tents were a : familiar sight on the outskirts of the ; city, All the gold, too, passed through . Nelson, and the commercial advantage ; to the place was enormous. A fleet of small steamers was established by a i local firm which found the business l very profitable. Even with the high • rates charged, the steamers had to lie away from the wharves in order to keep them from being overwhelmed by passengers. The quantity of gold that passed through Nelson in that year was enormous, and it excited the envy of the Christchurch people, who clamoured for the establishment of an escort to take it overland to their town. In course of time, the road by the Bealey route was undertaken by the Canterbury Provincial Government and Nelson was deprived of the advantage that she had enjoyed. The gold discoveries gave rise to a renewal of a previous agitation for improved means of communication by land between Nelson and the West Coast, and lor the second, but by no means the last time, the “gauge” railway was discussed. Quart.' Mining and Dredging In later years the quartz mines at Reefton aud Capleston (or Boatman’s) and Lyell came into prominence. Later still in the “Eighties” a considerable amount of jrapital was sunk in an endeavour to establish a profitable quartz mining industry in the Owen district, in the lipper portion of the Buller Valley. The hopes of the gold seekers, however were not fulfilled, and the shareholders who anticipated a regular run of dividends as a. reward of their enterprise wore doomed to disappointment. The rush to Mahakipawa, then - Havelock, took place in 1888. Gold has also been discovered in small quantities at various times in the Tadmor and other districts. There have ’also been numerous dredging ventures in the Nelson district. A few have been profitable, but the majority have been failures.

Time has scattered far and wide the gallant stagers old, Most of them the Great Divide have crossed And made, in fields far fairer, a better find than gold, Where, once obtained, their pile can ne er be lost, —Con. O’Regan.