Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):	37° 7' 23'' South , 175° 32' 13'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):	-37.12331,175.53703
GeoHash:	G#: rckuf3yjj
Köppen climate type:	Cfb : Temperate oceanic climate

Historic gold mine.

Located between Shellback and Kuranui streams. The lease over the years gradually expanded to take over other old leases including the Shotover which is the original prospectors lease on the goldfield, Barrys the second lease pegged, the Caledonian, Moanataiari and several others. In 1908, it covered 73 acres bordered to the west by the foreshore, and other sides Bonanza, Waitangi, Moanataiari Extended, New Moanataiari leases, and at 73 acres incorporating itself the former Shotover, Kuranui, and Eureka leases.

From pegging August 1867 to December 1868, the Shotover alone had produced 29 466 ounces of gold. It decreased rapidly thereafter, 1887-1896 of 59 046 tonnes of ore for only 6157 ounces of gold, and 1896-1908 875 tonnes of ore for 796 ounces of gold. The Kuranui and surrounding areas were a rabbit warren of underground workings, with a 20 stamp battery.

The country rock is highly propylitised andesite, with payable ore on the north-west side of the major Moanataiari Fault, mainly from shallow near surface workings. The quartz veins carried pyrite, sphalerite, gold.

Companies included the Kuranui Gold Mining Company 1870's, the Kuranui Hill Gold Mining Company 1880's, the Kuranui-Caledonian Gold Mining Company 1890's, the Kuranui-Caledonian-Moanataiari Gold Mining Company early 19th Century. The Kuranui Golden Hills Mining Company was operational at the site in the 1920's and 1930's, with shift boss Athol John George Connolly (26) meeting his death when part of the tailings tip collapsed onto him in 1933. The company had spent much money on a battery and water race, then found not enough water was being supplied to operate the battery. With no further capital to lay more pipes the company folded in 1933.

Mineral List

5 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

Miocene 5.333 - 23.03 Ma ID: 1308094

Coromandel Group Miocene andesite and basaltic andesite lava Age: Miocene (5.333 - 23.03 Ma) Stratigraphic Name: Coromandel Group Description: Andesite and basaltic andesite lava, tuff and tuff breccia, agglomerate and pyroclastic flow deposits; andesite, diorite and dacite dikes and subvolcanic intusions. Comments: Zealandia Megasequence Extrusive and Intrusive Rocks (Neogene) Lithology: Andesite, tuffite, tuff-breccia, agglomerate, pyroclastic material, andesite, diorite, dacite 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]

Tortonian - Burdigalian 7.246 - 20.44 Ma ID: 1315860

Kuaotunu Subgroup andesite and dacite (Coromandel Group) of Coromandel Volcanic Zone Age: Miocene (7.246 - 20.44 Ma) Stratigraphic Name: Kuaotunu Subgroup Description: Basaltic andesite, andesite and dacite intrusives, flows, volcaniclastites and volcanic epiclastites. Comments: Neogene igneous rocks. Age based on K-Ar Lithology: Major:: {andesite},Minor:: {dacite} Reference: Heron, D.W. . Geology Map of New Zealand 1:250 000. GNS Science Geological Map 1. [13]

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

References