New Zealand Petroleum.

Progress, Volume VI, Issue 9, 1 July 1911, Page 740

New Zealand Petroleum.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—Noticing that your paper always takes a keen interest in all New Zealand oilfields, I take it on myself to give you an account of a new field at Waipatiki. It has just been discovered about 18 months, and a company, which has boring rights here, are going to start operations shortly. It was discovered by Mr. E. Wiley, who came upon a natural gas spring in a small creek. Noticing the water bubbling in a quiet pool, and also smelling a strange odour, his curiosity was aroused as to what it might be. Then, thinking it must be gas, he threw a lighted match on the water and it immediately ignited the gas. The gas burns well, with a bright red flame and is of intense heat. At night the lower part of the flame (which is invisible in day) burns with a blue light. Since the discovery, oil companies have brought experts here to look at the spring, and they say that there is oil here. Dr. Warner was one of them. One company, who have the boring rights of a large area of the surrounding country, say that they are prepared to spend a large amount of money on it, and, as I stated before, they will start boring shortly. The country is of papa formation, with patches of sandstone and limestone. This being a new field (and even the old settlers had no idea that oil was in the district), there may be a bright future before it. I am, etc., J. R. McLean.