gold in them there hills

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well, we're well inland from Greymouth, at a lovely little town called Reefton, famous for being the first town in NZ to have electric lights. Its in a spectacular setting, surrounded by mountains and rivers, and last night I took a chair outside and watched the sun go down over the hills. Tonight its a bit cloudier, so maybe not. Anyway, all the hills round here are riddled with gold and coal mines, well, the remains of them. And everywhere you go, there are photos showing what it looked like in 1860 or 1910 - mostly a lot busier than now. In fact, its hard to believe that there could once have been a thriving town on that little ledge of rock etc. However, all the paths and tramways are preserved, and make excellent footpaths, and there's always a bit of leftover machinery to look at on the way. So its good. Tomorrow we hope to go goldpanning in the special goldpanning river nearby - you never know you're luck, we might strike it rich!!! Pictures to follow, when we find a machine that can do them!

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Photos

panning in the river
with a little help and local knowledge.

meeting the local goldminers
in the mock up mine at the visitor centre.

trying my hand
but I'm not rich yet. The river is dark after heavy overnight rain.

Julie Andrews
exploring the old goldfields.

above the river
the walk was up an old gold miner's track, by the river.

the rock
couldn't resist putting the camera on timer for this.

leyland truck
they used as winch on the old coal track.

coal mine walk
boardwalk through the bog! Growth is not so luxuriant on the coal seams.

Comments

[Sue O'Brien]

gold diggers
Goodluck with the panning, I hope you find a huge nugget.