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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Auckland Provincial District]

Mr. Henry Christian Wick

Mr. Henry Christian Wick, Old Colonist, now resides at his villa, “Ake, Ake,” on the Esplanade, Mount Eden, Auckland. He was born at Marburg, in Hesse, Germany, in 1838, and at the age of seventeen he set out for the Antipodes. In 1856 he arrived in Victoria, and started direct for the goldfields at Pleasant Creek, where he was successful in working several alluvial mines. He then followed the first “rush” to Rockhampton in 1858. Miners from all parts of the Colonies arrived there by thousands, but most of them, not being provided sufficiently, had to be given a free passage back by the New South Wales Government. Mr. Wick remained at the goldfields and found coarse gold close under the surface, but, dissatisfied with the quantity, he set out for Brisbane and went thence to Tenterfield, where he got good payable gold. He visited all the mining districts up to Bathurst and travelled a distance of about 1400 miles on foot, but returned to Victoria in 1859, and was at Clunes and all the gold producing districts of that Colony. In 1862 he came to New Zealand, and took part in the “rush” to Gabriel's Gully, Otago. He returned to Australia in the following year, and came back to Auckland in 1866. When the Thames goldfields were discovered he turned his attention to mining and took a prominent part in opening up several mines. He proved the value of tailings and started a plant at Tararu with Mr. Blizard in the good old days of the Caledonian and other prominent mines, when tailings were bought at £5 per ton. Mr. Wick went to Ohinemuri at the time the “Waitekauri” and “Welcome” mines were at work and erected a battery of eight stampers, and crushed ore from the “Welcome” mine, which in those days yielded three ounces to the ton. The difficulty in getting to the mine was so great that he sold out after crushing two thousand tons. He was the first to buy ore from the various mines, whose products could not be treated by battery process, and shipped it to Freiberg and various other smelting works where it was treated with excellent results. Later on he applied himself to farming and resided for some years on his farm of 380 acres adjacent to the town of Paeroa. Mr. Wick was one of the promoters of the Ohinemuri Masonic Lodge, for which he was Master of Ceremonies and also a trustee. He is managing director of the Mountain Rimu Timber Company, Limited, which has its bush and mills at Mamaku.

Mr. H. C. Wick.

Mr. H. C. Wick.