The Trail of Gold
Trip Start
Oct 20, 2003
1
21
29
Trip End
Ongoing
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Balclutha,
New Zealand
Thursday, July 26, 2007
the edge of the river slowly swirling gravel around a pan that looked to me
like one I use to feed the dog.
"Yep", was the muffled
response I received. He didn't even look up probably hoping I would just go
away.
"Can you still
find gold in this river?" I intruded upon him again.
"Last month a fellow found a
nugget upstream worth $10,000", he replied continuing to swirl the gravel
keeping a close look for a glint of gold that might reveal itself.
My heart jumped a beat with
excitement as I conjured up the magic of tramping the rivers and streams of New Zealand
and discovering a strike of gold.
Saying thanks to the man's
back I slowly meandered down along the Arrow River
and to Arrowtown. After a visit to the local Museum and over a few pints at the
local pub I soon discovered the possibility of finding gold, even today, was a
likely event. A walk through the restored Chinese settlement was a reminder of
the historic significance of gold in the Central Otago region of New Zealand
and the hardships of those early times.
In 1862, William Fox, a California miner was the first to discover gold in the Arrow River
and Arrowtown was formed. It was one of the richest gold bearing rivers in the
world where Fox and fellow miners panned out over 19kg (42lbs) in two weeks.
A place on the river by the
town is still set aside for recreational gold panning and with perseverance you
are almost guaranteed to find a speck of gold for the efforts.
Perhaps after a little
experience you may want to become involved with the annual New Zealand Goldpanning
Championship held every November.
Annual celebrations are held
throughout the Otago communities whose heritage is based upon gold. One of the
top celebrations is the Cavalcade a re-enactment of the early gold miners
heading to the major discoveries by foot, on horseback and by wagon.
Every March people from many
walks of life enjoy becoming a part of the Cavalcade. They start from several different locations,
braving almost the same conditions as the early pioneers for a week or more,
converge on a different town each year.
I watched in awe as over 500 hardy individuals paraded through Patearoa
where they gathered to enjoy the end of their trip with family, friends and
visitors. What a sight and experience just to be there. It was easy to be
caught up in the excitement as sunburned and bearded faces paraded past beaming
with a great personal satisfaction having conquered personal goals and enjoyed
an experience of a lifetime.
"Will you do it again?" I
asked one of the walkers who came striding by.
"Mate this was one of the
toughest weeks I have ever spent. I can't wait till next year to do it again."
He replied.
The Goldfields Heritage
Trail has been created whereby one can drive through the historic region of the golden era of
discovery. The first real find of size was at Gabriel's Gully near Lawrence in 1861. In a few
months over 10,000 individuals were searching for gold. The rush was on.
The city of Dunedin owes its early
prosperity to the discovery of gold and became the major commercial centre of
the country. A visit to the Early Settler's Museum provides many stories and
displays of this exciting time in the city's history.
Proclaimed as the world's
richest the Shotover
River winds through the
region near Queenstown. One of the most spectacular drives in New Zealand is through the Kawarau Gorge more
famous today for the international class vineyards of the Gibbston Valley
and the home of the AJ Hackett bungy jump.
The Heritage Trail through
Ranfurly, Naseby and Dansy's Pass is my
favourite. High in the mountains it is a stark, dry sepia coloured region with
a sky that is usually ruled by a clear bright blue and boasts the second
highest sunshine count. It is nature's minimalist efforts with the mountains
rolling and folded so the variances of light, shadow and cloud movement allow
such a diversity of visual experiences I never tire of looking at it.
The small town of Ranfurly is known for its
Rural Art Deco weekend. They close the main street down and hold quite a party,
people dressed to the theme, with a parade of restored autos transforming the
community back into the 30's time frame.
A few kilometres down the
road is the town of Naseby,
once the largest gold mining town in the region, now just a quiet village. Many
of the buildings have been restored to some of their original glory such as the
Naseby Royal Hotel that has been the local meeting place since gold was
discovered and still providing fabulous food and accommodation to the traveler
and local alike.
Just outside of Naseby, 2000 feet above sea level, is the Dansy's Pass
Coach Inn built in 1862 as a stopover for the wagon trains to the gold fields.
The integrity of the old stone Inn has been
maintained and improved with time. It is one of New Zealand's best kept secret for
a special stay.
The scenery throughout the
Heritage Trail is some of the most spectacular in the world. To follow in the
wagon ruts and footsteps, now very good roads, of the early pioneers who
settled this country adds a colourful dimension to the trip. It is not the
usual tourist trail so you are able to enjoy this drive without crowds and meet
some of the finest people on earth along the way.
Who knows you
might even find a little gold along the way and even if you don't you will have
discovered one of the special places on earth.
