Hamiltons, Ranfurly, Central Otago District, Otago Region, South Island, New Zealand

Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):	45° 15' 10'' South , 170° 8' 57'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):	-45.25292,170.14919
Köppen climate type:	Cfb : Temperate oceanic climate

Gold.

Hamiltons was named after the pastoral station owner, who controlled the land at the time of the gold discovery in 1863. It was a rich field, with 4000 alluvial miners at the site by 1864, as well as 25 hotels, and 40 stores. Like many a goldfield the number of miners decreased gradually, until more well financed companies took over in the 1870's. Information was found of activity into the 1920's.

To reach requires travelling south on back roads from Ranfurly. Three kilometres east of the town on State Highway 85, turn south to Waipiata. From here head south south-west on the Waipiata-Patearoa Road about 5 kilometres, turning south to Orangapai. This was a sanitorium opened in 1925, and is now a religious establishment. One kilometre south of here turn east into the Hamilton Diggings Road.

The alluvial gravels are 40 million years old, on a prominent fault zone exposed by the sluicings. Some of the gravels have been cemented by groundwater. The gravels rest on an altered schist clay bed. Younger gravels have eroded from the neighbouring Rock and Pillar Range, consisting of angular schist debris, and rounded quartz pebbles, showing recycled enriched gold.

The town is long gone, although a cemetery still exists. There are three main areas where there was activity. One near the entrance to the diggings road is called Hamilton Hill, a second 500 metres to the east called Shepherd Hill. The third area is Pigburn, 3 kilometres to the west towards Patearoa, with disturbed ground along the western banks, north and south of the road.

Gold was discovered here in 1863 by a prospector called Brockleman (surname), and a party of three others. They had been mining at Hogburn near Naseby, and could see in the distance across the plains to the south the Hamilton area, which in their opinion looked likely for gold. After three days prospecting they located gold in one of their potholes dug. It would turn out one of the richest in the district.

Between April 1864-1865 42 037 ounces of gold was extracted, April 1865-1866 38 108 ounces, and April 1866 to October 1866 5777 ounces. The last six months shows how quickly, after three years the ground was worked out by the alluvial miners. Much gold was lost in the tailings however, due to the presence of cinnabar. After the initial rush, around fifty Chinese miners moved into leases abandoned by other miners.

The alluvial gravels at Hamilton are deep, and companies with capital to hydraulic sluice then became involved. The Perseverance Company took over the United claim of the Bremner brothers in the early 1870's. The Cornish Company started around the same time, as did Bailey and party, their claim just north of the other two. Information on the Perseverence Company was found until 1898, as the only party still active at the time.

In 1879, the parties active at Hamiltons were Cornish, Perseverence, McAlpine and Co, Pearce and Co, Sanders and mate, Roach and Co. In 1881, it was McAlpine and Carr, Roberts and party, The Star of Otago Company, Bailey and Jory, and the Perseverence Company, with the Edmonds brothers out at Pigburn. In 1889, Roberts, McAlpine, Perseverence are mentioned, and in addition the Rescue Gold Mining Company.

In 1888, a company is formed to re-treat the tailings washed into the nearby creek. This was headed by J.A. Chapman, and G.B. Douglas for Dunedin speculators. Twenty years before, John Shannon and mate had a similar idea of re-sluicing the tailings. A water race and dam were built, then a flood wiped away all their working, ruining Shannon financially.

The Rescue Gold Mining Company spent 1200 pounds on their claim, and 800 pounds entertaining directors, and was wound up in the early 1890's. The Robert brothers are noted in 1890 as developing a claim for the prior two years on the south side of Hamilton Hill.

The Hamilton Hydraulic Sluicing Company started in mid 1911, and in the first nine weeks obtained 1200 pounds worth of gold. H. Eaton was mine manager. This company lasted until 1913.

In 1920, it is stated no mining is taking place, with all the plants and equipment dismantled. The writer claims the amalgamation of the leases, killed off prospecting in the area, as one party would control all the water for sluicing. P. and W. Thomas are noted as driving into Hamilton Hill in 1921, noting a prior company abandoned the lease to tributers to go to Pigburn. At some point shortly after this John Coran and party was active, but abandoned their lease, and after this another party is reported active in 1924.

Mineral List

3 valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded

Regional Geology

This geological map and associated information on rock units at or nearby to the coordinates given for this locality is based on relatively small scale geological maps provided by various national Geological Surveys. This does not necessarily represent the complete geology at this locality but it gives a background for the region in which it is found.

Click on geological units on the map for more information. Click here to view full-screen map on Macrostrat.org

Tortonian - Burdigalian 7.246 - 20.44 Ma ID: 1338549	Bannockburn Formation and Waitangi Formation (Manuherikia Group) Age: Miocene (7.246 - 20.44 Ma) Stratigraphic Name: Bannockburn Formation; Waitangi Coal Measures Description: Lacustrine clay, silt and sand with lignite seams; basal fluvial quartz sand and conglomerate. Comments: Neogene sedimentary rocks. Age based on palyno Lithology: Major:: {siltstone},Minor:: {sandstone, lignite} Reference: Heron, D.W. . Geology Map of New Zealand 1:250 000. GNS Science Geological Map 1. [13]
Jurassic - Triassic 145 - 252.17 Ma ID: 3185705	Mesozoic sedimentary and volcanic rocks Age: Mesozoic (145 - 252.17 Ma) Stratigraphic Name: Torlesse Supergroup Lithology: Mafic volcanic rocks; basalt; chert,greywacke,argillite,limestone Reference: Chorlton, L.B. Generalized geology of the world: bedrock domains and major faults in GIS format: a small-scale world geology map with an extended geological attribute database. doi: 10.4095/223767. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 5529. [154]
Triassic - Guadalupian 201.3 - 272.3 Ma ID: 1310172	Rakaia Terrane Permian-Triassic TZIIB semischist Age: Phanerozoic (201.3 - 272.3 Ma) Stratigraphic Name: Torlesse Supergroup Description: Schistose (TZIIB) quartzofeldspathic sandstone, siltstone, mudstone and conglomerate. Comments: Eastern Province (Rakaia Terrane) Rocks Lithology: Schist Reference: Edbrooke, S.W., Heron, D.W., Forsyth, P.J., Jongens, R. (compilers). Geology Map of New Zealand 1:1 000 000. GNS Science Geological Map 2. [12]

Data and map coding provided by Macrostrat.org, used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License

References

External Links