Less than two years ago, few people were aware that Jackson's Bay was on the map of New Zealand; to-day the eyes of many are turned toward it with bright hopes of its coming importance. This is not a new experience for Jackson's Bay. Sixty years ago it was a settlement cheerful in the expectation of becoming a centre of commerce; and long before the settlement was founded, goldminers, following in the wake of explorer and prospector, were seeking their fortunes there.