Morning Star Mine, Preservation Inlet, Fiordland National Park, Southland District, Southland Region, New Zealandi

Regional Level Types
Morning Star Mine	Mine
Preservation Inlet	- not defined -
Fiordland National Park	National Park
Southland District	District
Southland Region	Region
New Zealand	Country

Abandoned gold mine.

The mine site is up a steep walking track for 300 metres from Long Beach.

The reef is hosted in Early Ordovicean psammitic and pelite rocks. The mine is on the eastern limb of a gently plunging anticline. Gold is found in a fault vein, with a network of more minor veins, parallel to the bedding. These trend north north-west, dip 60 degrees west, extend along the line of lode for about 350 metres, to a depth of around 170 metres, the main vein up to 2 metres thick as a saddle reef.

The veins contain laminated, massive, and fibrous quartz, silicified breccia and calaclasites, containing coarse gold 1-2 mms, associated with pyrite, chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite and galena.

The auriferous quartz reef was discovered in 1894 by George Holloway and Donald McKenzie. The Morning Star Company was formed in 1895, with 12 000 pounds capital. A trial crushing was sent to Wylie and Scott's battery in Invercargill, achieving 9 ounces 14 dwt from one tonne of ore.

A five stamp battery, blacksmiths, tramway was erected, and thirty men employed. The first crushing was 220 tonnes of ore for 160 ounces of gold. By the end of 1895 the mine had processed 1355 tonnes of ore for 728 ounces of gold. The battery was increased to ten stamps, with four berdans. In 1896 a further ten berdans were added, then in 1898 an aerial tramway to the wharf. The mine was worked at four levels.

By May 1897, the mine had produced 4943 ounces of gold, valued at 20 040 pounds, with 4500 pounds in dividends given to shareholders. This bright start however fell away for poor ground was found at depth, with no further auriferous ground nearby. The nine months ending December 1900, 776 tonnes of ore had been processed, for only 365 ounces of gold. In 1901 the mine closed.

The New Star Company was formed in 1901, on the apparent discovery of a new lode, however it was auriferous poor, and the company was liquidated in 1902. It was let on tribute. In 1905, an Invercargill syndicate purchased the mine, and after some legal problems, in 1907 sluiced a large area lower down to the hill in the hope of exposing the lower levels of the reef. The battery was overhauled in 1910, and a new upper drive started in 1911. The mine closed in 1913.

The steam boiler, cam shaft, incline tramway drum, winch, a couple of large mullock heaps, some adits either open, and collapsed remain.

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