Here in New Zealand there is a history of gold mining and its still going on today but mostly on a large scale with heavy machinery and large companies. In the 19th century there were a series of gold rushes in the South Island and entire towns sprang up and then disappeared on the basis of gold strikes. One such town was the town of Lyell on the Buller River in the Buller province. There a town of 3000 people established in the 1870s and multiple mines were operating until the early 20th century since when the town died. Today there is a public camping ground and an area where you can fossick for gold but only using non powered tools. There are about 19 of these areas set aside for anyone to try their luck panning or sluicing for gold, nearly all of them in the South Island. I decided to try my luck and spend a few days building a sluice thinking it would improve my chances.

On arriving at the campsite it is a nice place set in the bush and beside the Buller river at the fork where the Lyell creek enters the main river. It was late afternoon so spent the rest of the day setting up camp and scoping the river for a good spot to set up the sluice. Next morning took the sluice down and set it up in the river and started shoveling gravel into it.

Its hard work but after two days had not even a spec of gold to show for it so gave up. The next day took one of the tracks that leads up to one of the old gold mining sites and arrived at the Croesus stamping battery- where quartz rock was crushed with a water driven stamping battery. Rock was dug out of mine shafts worked into the hillside and crushed on the battery. But after only a year working the rock was yielding insufficient gold to continue and the mine closed down.

Today the original stamping battery and remnants of the turbine remain partly restored by the department of conservation who also provide tramping huts, camping grounds and tracks throughout the area and right across New Zealand.

In the area where the Lyell town was once a new private association has built huts on old pack track that goes all the way to the coastal river town of Mohokinui (about 60 km) on the government owned conservation land and a two tier system operates where you can pay $180 to stay in the private huts, or stay in the (older) government owned huts for $10/night.

Generally the government owned and operated huts are very good value while the privately operated huts are newer and more comfortable but considerably more expensive.

Having tried and failed to sluice some gold I have a new respect for the miners of old who worked these gold fields before modern machinery was available. Many died in mining accidents and just as a result of the hard life involved. At Lyell you can walk to the old cemetery about 2km from the old town/campsite and see the gravestones and the stories they tell.