The Mahakipaiwa.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXII, Issue 243, 15 October 1888, Page 2

The Mahakipaiwa.

Wellington, October M. The Minister of Mines, who haa returned from Mahakipawa and Waihakaho, made a thorough inspection of the diggings at each place, and is favourably impressed with the character of the fields. At Mahakipawa ho found that half of the claims had reached the bottom of the creek, the depth being about 30 feet, but at Waikakaho not more than 3 per cent had succeeded in bottoming. During his visit to Mahakipawa he was shown a good many parcels of gold, and his opinion is that a larger quantity of the precious metal has been obtained than is imagined by the people living outside the field. Mr Richardson was astonished at tha difficulties in the way of those who have taken up alluvial claims either at Mahakipawa or Waikakaho, and he considers that it would have been to the advantage of these people if many of them had combined and formed large companies, owing to tha great quantity of water that has to be contended with, and the immense number of large atones, many of which require to be stacked up in the narrow gulch. The labor of the miners on both fields is very considerable, and the hon gentleman's opinion is that neither Mahakipawa nor Waikakaho is a poor man's diggings.