Albion Mine, Cape Terawhiti, Wellington, Wellington Region, New Zealandi

Regional Level Types
Albion Mine	Mine
Cape Terawhiti	Cape
Wellington	City
Wellington Region	Region
New Zealand	Country

The Albion Prospecting Association was formed in October 1880, and then a public company followed in February 1881. Its purpose was to mine gold bearing quartz found on the north side of Terawhiti Hill, obtaining a lease from the prospectors by May 1882.

Various equipment including a tramway from the mine to the battery were installed. A battery was erected, being ten stamps, made by Luke Sons and Williams, an engineering firm in Wellington. However the first crushing was from a nearby mine called Golden Crown in July 1883. The first and only crushing for the Albion Mine occurred in August, however it must have been poor as the company was wound up in September.

It was reconstructed as the Albion Extended Gold Mining Company in October 1883, but ceased operations again in January 1884, the company wound up in 1886.

The Golden Crown Mine leased the battery from the end of 1885, however its crushings were also not covering costs, and it was soon abandoned. The battery building burned to the ground in the early 1900's.

In 1912, James Dunn of Terawhiti Dykes Company was prospecting for gold in the area and purchased the battery, and removed some of the equipment. However much of the large equipment remains, in a paddock just east of a farm road in Black Gully. This includes the boiler, horizontal engine, flywheel, and cam shaft, two stamper boxes, two berdans, and stampers.

The mine site is 300 metres above the battery in the hills to the west, said to be a shallow vertical shaft, then drive from this into the hill. The underground workings are said to have collapsed.

The battery is on the Terawhiti pastoral station, and is not accessible without permission from the station owners.

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