The Golden Point Historic Reserve currently consists of approximately one sq km of protected land, managed by the New Zealand Department of Conservation. The hills and mountains that surround the site are currently home to New Zealand’s largest mining operation, the Macraes Mining Project (currently known as Gold and Resource Developments NL), also becoming Otago’s . The area contains evidence of the variety of gold extraction techniques utilized on the goldfields of New Zealand and is extremely rich in archeological resources. Procurement of gold began here with the Chinese in 1869 consisting of small-scale alluvial gold extraction such as sluicing that has left indelible changes in the landscape. Hard-rock mining (tunneling into hillsides to remove gold from ore veins) began soon after, when the first ore-crushing complex was built in the early 1870s (Otago Witness 1/4/1873:11), and alluvial mining remained common until the turn of the century. Hard-rock mining continued here well into the 20th century, when scheelite became the primary ore sought at Golden Point for use in the construction of munitions casings for WWI (Williams 1974: 55; Hamel 1992). The area actually contains five different hard-rock mining operations, as well as a scatter of the aforementioned alluvial mining, including one still operable stamping battery (a machine used to crush quartz and other hard rocks to allow extraction of ores), curated by the New Zealand Department of Conservation.

The first quartz mine opened here became known as the Duke of Edinburgh (yet another example in the long line demonstrating the strong influence of the early Scottish settlers of the region), it opened in 1866 but closed six years later due to heavy loss of mercury in the gold extraction process and cost of coal (Petchey 1996). In 1890, the Donaldson family began working with their battery, crushing ore and digging some of the first large scale mines on site, and during the first ten years of the 20th century, they “were the only exporters of scheelite in New Zealand, selling directly to Hamburg” (Hamel 2001: 174). This battery used cyanide to extract gold. This battery was moved shortly after 1912, to a position downstream. After moving, the battery was owned by several different groups, including the Golden Point Gold and Scheelite Company (from which the entire site’s name has been derived) until 1944. The Callery Battery, still standing and fully operational (powered by a kerosene engine), sits just south of the remains of an older battery. The older battery crushed ore from the same mines as did the later Callery Battery, its foundation suggests a much larger building.

The area that has become known as Golden Point is an incredibly complex site. The numerous methods of mining employed here are simply fascinating, however, the modern world seems determined to wipe the irreplaceable document of history that is this site from the face of the planet (either in part or whole). Already, several features and the majority of the mines have been partially or completely destroyed, many before any kind of mapping could occur. Of every site surveyed for this project, Golden Point stands out as the one in greatest need of dedicated exploration. Fortunately, as part of the license granted to the modern mining company, a certain amount of the site must remain protected and undisturbed. Also, it should be stated that Gold and Resource Developments NL have been very conscientious guardians, and it is the sincere hope of many that they will continue to do so. The cultural and environmental impacts of this large scale project as constantly being reinterpreted, however, the continuation of such work depends greatly on public interest in cultural resources.

GIS Photos

Click the above picture to view the Golden Point Virtual Tour