now if you look on a map for waihi water supply go for a walk up there . go to the dam . as you see the dam keep left try to follow that river up you will see cliffs up the valley all though there from the dam and up that way is gold in rock taking samples should be ok but if you start mining it that would be a problem
reservoir road
Hi Leslie, sorry to drag up an old topic, but I’m going for a fossick up there over the next few weeks (weather permitting),I presume this is waihi beach your talking about,
More of a rock hound I am, do a little lapidary at home occasionally Im very much a amarture thinking of taking a small pan with me and trying a little panning ,is it veins in the cliffs to look for and if so do you think they could be shedding,I mainly look for jasper and nice quarts pieces with lots of sulphides in them .
Thanks Tom
Forgot to ask would that be the Waihi stream im walking up,cheers again Tom
Yes waiting stream as for veins be careful if your walking around up in the bush back of waiting beach as there is air holes into old mine drives some go down over 100 feet and are full of water most veins are on the tracks where there is a bridge take a rope 3 pound hammer and a chisel as in the gorge out of waihi there are small veins around if I was up there is could have taken you underground onto a oceana site property where the veins or every foot easy to see but not the case now for me if you can type up on your computer the rising sun mine it’s as you go past the pub in the gorge left side of road behind pub there is platinum nodes just before rising sun mine on left as you go around the corner there is a massive vein in the river it’s about 30 feet wide don’t go into rising sun mine very dangerous
By the way where you find jasper you find gold in most cases up there better to get gold in rock most areas are quiet rich processing it is easy where as fine flour gold you need some dish washing liquid in your pan and washing soda some gold I found was micro size can’t see with your eye even in the south island I found this if you want to know about the mines in the gorge out of waiting or up Thames way I can tell you put you on the spot done the lot
Hi Leslie, I believe you are talking of the Golden Dawn Mine which if traveling from Waihi to Paeroa is on the right hand side of the road past the Waikino Pub in the road cut cliff/bank face at road level. Well maybe that is just one adit. I believe the reef was mined beneath the river following the vein. Talking to the farmers son a few years back he said his father filled in the main entrance due to danger, but there are likely other entrances. A friend of mines father used to work in that mine. Cheers
JW 
The main entrance is dangerous goes in 500 feet then there is a shaft going down then it goes back under the river many years ago mineral resources on the other side of river drained out a portal where they went down 90 feet this is sealed up now from the public as for other entrances there is but most now have fallen in the guy that lives just around the corner in that area I had the chance to go underground he broke into a tunnel that went back towards the pub on that same side there is another tunnel that goes back in his area the old boys when they were searching for the main vein they missed it by 2 feet
Hi Leslie have sent a pm
You may have sent one but I have not got it
Hi Lesley well I don’t know what happened here then looks like the weather is going to be good up here for the weekend and we’ll probably head over to Waihi beach sounds like I might be able to pick up a couple of specimens if I look hard enough do you know if there are any crystals or any type of rock I should be looking out for up there ,won’t be heading into any mines but will be keeping an eye out for the air shaft thanks for the advice mate,any one keen to tag along is welcome
There is air shafts not just one ( lots) walk with a stick just to brush ground if unsure I use to have a aluminum pole solid one as for crystals no only maratoto underground in alcoves about 50 metres in there you need to go into a silver mine in the 70s they were getting blobs of pure silver I have 5 pure silver crystals from there as for crystals at waihi beach you mite or mite find as for gold yes there are veins you will need a rope as there in the ravines that are under or near the bridges that people walk over
Thanks for the info,
sunday looks the better day so may head up then, for safety reasons I wont go bush bashing until I have another person with me,my wife has pinned me on that one,common sense prevails, will go for a walk on the tracks
to look the area over first check the ravines and bridges along the way, and photo anything of interest I may find, if there’s time on the way back may also go for a walk up the Mangatoetoe stream at the end of savage st just north of the pit in Waihi,panning and rock hunting,know anything about that stream?
Thanks Tom.
Go into waihi go up reservoir Rd walnsley has gold in it you will see a big hill on the left going up there old days there was a poppet head on top of it that hill is full of gold and other minerals it’s fenced off from public by land owner but follow up the public track get to dam there is gold in rock there if you carried on walking up stream keeping left all the time need a GPS the mataura stream was mined for gold it’s very rich in that area you could ask one of the farmers if you wanted to get there quick is go up willows Rd mines were on the right side up the valley
Another area is maratoto drive up Rd to car park walk over bridge go left go up to first quarry walk up track do not go over hills in this area otherwise it’s by by time look on a map you will 364 in height 417 in height don’t go up on them mines are at the bottom shafts on top 2000 feet go up Mc brinns stream mercury in water there is a massive mine on the left of the bank I have been in there it goes from maratoto to komata just stay on the tracks at the moment
Did I give you my phone number also buy yourself a loupe you will need one to start you off getting specimens once you know what has gold in it you won’t use it the same later on will tell you where you can get pure silver crystals there worth 500 us dollars as there rare and also where to get pure crystals and gold etc
No you didnt, but you can PM me it if you like,I have loupes x 10 and x60 plus a x60 that fits on the phone that I use for photos,I think the Mcbrinns stream mine could be the pay rock or walkers mine, have walked only partially up there,but I wouldn’t mind going back for another look,will give you a call if you pass your number on and let you know how I went,thanks for the info,Tom
037890044 call evening around 8pm