No hurry to sell and im not worried if it doesn’t. Comes with 4 inch Dredge can also supply New Proline 6 inch with hotwater, custom trailer and all the bells and whistles all still under warranty if you want.
42km of river with full access the whole length essentially. Hasn’t seen much dredging activity prior to my claim except an 8 inch that went through and had a 30 oz day in the late 90s by a well known miner in a small section of river. Can provide full map of what’s been dredged and what hasn’t and put you straight onto the gold. Year round dredging and no black sands. Good fishing and camping. Access agreement in place. Includes top part of claim with small creek you can run a 6 inch in that contains nuggety gold.
Selling as I dont have time for it as I have 6 claims and am concentrating on my Shotover and Arrow claims as I now live in Queenstown area
Can supply Geo report of grades as well as flood footage for low pressure zone reading. River would allow easy consent for 8 inch dredge or bigger or Trommel and Screen operation.
Would be open if someone wanted to buy a share potentially
For the right buyer would potentially allow access onto some of my other claims with conditions
Will have to say that it is a fun river to mine and really appreciated the times had on the claim mate. Last time I was there between locdowns, Justin smashed himself in the face when the pull cord broke. I was having a break when Brian turner showed up with Gillian Sullivan. They were walking the entire length for her book ‘Map for the heart, Ida valley essays’, they crossed the river to where I was and at first I thought it was Graeme Sydney the painter…as I owe him $5 that was in his Kathmandu duck down puffer vest I found on a fence post one day up there. There was a bording pass from Auk to Queenstown with his name on it and the $5…brought some free range eggs at StBathan. My brain must have recognized it as Brian because when I went to say hi Mr Sydney…Mr Turner came out instead and he replied, “no no Brian”. I was really confused. Over his shoulder I could see Justin throwing his toys and stripping of the wet suit, face all bloody…before he realized we had guests. I shrugged and my tilted my head, heat stroke slurred, “bit of Goldfield drama lol”, and then told them about all the weird things I have seen, told him about Graeme Sydneys puffer vest, which I still have, showed them some gold…he was like "I think I may have heard about you “, I wonder if word has got around about Mr Sydneys vest. Had some great times.
When that German fella was there and he asked me if I needed anything from the pub and I said could he get me a Sheila…he asked what is a Sheila?” I said the bar manager will know and gave him a wink…when he came back he looked angry and I asked where my Sheila was…“not funny, no Sheila the whole pub laughed at me”. Well thats his pay back for slapping down that 9 gram nugget on the bar the weekend before like he was going shout the place…I think he was possessed and thought it was 1863 again…when really we were trying to be low key! I will go on…at the Vulcan one night I heard a fella talking to some locals…him and his wife had only moved there 5 months earlier, stereotype from Auckland. When he heard something about us gold mining he asked me without any other conversation, " how much gold did you find, I was annoyed at him so I said while looking at his wife “I prefer to get my c@#k out instead and wave it around rather than talk about how much money I made today”, his wife gasped involuntarily…"how much did you make today mate ". Justin pissing himself laughing in the fetal position comes over and grabbed my arm and we left.
I remember the pub had a small bottle of gold that was on display in the cabinet by the pool table ever since I was a kid, it fell over about ten years ago and rolled to the back of the cabinet…I would always check to see if it was still there. It was gone last time…and was not even Blue lake gold…it was from Shanty town lol. I shall give a sample of fine blue lake gold to replace it. And maybe one day Graeme Sydneys puffer vest back and the $5.
The location of the fossil site is alongside the Manuherikia river and on private farm land. In spare time when i was prospecting the river I would go and fossick about the spoil heaps after otago university and te papa have finished doing a dig. Especially after a rain I would swap gold mode brain for fossils and find all sorts of bones and I would take them to my old professor Ewan Fordyce…who has been not the best lately…I even ate a fish vertebrae just so I could say so.
Otago university geology department website has some great information on the St Bathan area and gold. The Blue lake fault zone is of particular interest, also see graphite and gold. If anyone has any questions pertaining to gold on the Manuherikia and the surrounding environs I am more than happy to answer the best I can, as I practically grew up there and cut my teeth mining the Maniototo area.
