Parapara Gold

Following the early goldfield activity in the Collingwood district from say 1857 to 1860 various attempts were made to mine on a more extensive scale.

In his ReminscencesA. D. Dobson tells of his experiences at Collingwood in the 1860's when he undertook work on a scheme to mine for gold at Appo's Flat. Two men, employed by W. T. L. Travers, had already sunk a shaft 80 feet (24m) deep and had washed out about half-an-ounce of coarse gold at the bottom of the shaft. A report in the Nelson Evening Mail in October 1867 stated that at Appo's Gully Mr Nicholls and his mates went down to a depth of about 60 feet (18m) without bottoming but had come upon pipe clay and gravel which was regarded as a favourable sign. (Was this the party employed by Travers?–J.N.).

Dobson's scheme turned out a failure as, when they drove a tunnel to within a few feet of the shaft which Travers' prospectors had sunk, they got into old workings. Apparently the ground had been worked before by sinking and driving from the bottom of numerous shafts, there having been a number of parties all working at once, and so keeping the water down by pumping. Travers men had simply struck one of the pillars between shafts which had not been worked.

Sluicing claims were worked in the Parapara area where conditions were favourable. There were many claims but in 1892 the Parapara Hydraulic Sluicing Company, floated with a capital of forty thousand pounds ($80,000), bought a number of independent claims and work commenced on a much broader basis than had been possible by the smaller concerns. Among the claims amalgamated were the "Glen Mutchin," "Glen Gyle," and the "Hit and Miss." Glen Mutchin was first worked in the 1870's by William Caldwell who brought water from the Parapara River. Glen Gyle had been worked almost continuously by the "Glen Gyle party" from the early days of the page 33goldfield. The members were N. Hamblett, Patterson, Jinks, and Joe Newlove. (In his old age Newlove lived in a hut near the Collingwood Recreation Ground and tended a splendid vegetable garden.) The Hit and Miss claim was at a saddle at the head of Glen Gyle gully between there and Appo's Creek. The "Red Hill" mining property was also taken over.

One of the first activities of the new company was to undertake boring operations on the Parapara mudflat to ascertain the possibilities there. Work proceeded on the various claims. Glen Gyle was worked and eventually abandoned as the hillsides were steep and operations were hampered by landslides which made operations dangerous. At the Hit and Miss claim the work continued until the dividing ridge was completely washed away. Operations on the Parapara flats followed a different pattern as the sluicing work was accompanied by pumping and elevation procedures which allowed work to proceed to a depth of 15 feet (4.5m) below high water level.

A great deal of development work was done to bring water from the upper part of the Parapara stream to carry out operations at Hit and Miss Saddle and later at Appo's Flat. A contract was let for tunnelling Richmond Hill. Big preparations were made. In December 1893, 70,000 feet of timber was being cut at Baigent's mill in Takaka and this was carted by Henry Hawkins from Riley's wharf at Collingwood. Contracts for a road from Collingwood to Appo's Flat were let in July 1894 and in that month tenders were invited for stripping a dam site and cutting a sluice channel at Richmond Flat in Parapara Gorge. The S.S. Manaia arrived from Wellington with 80 tons of cement and the S.S. Kennedy made several trips into port with pipes. J. Richards and H. Strange carted the pipes to the site while the Pages carted the cement. The line for the pipes had been graded but when the pipeline was tried out under pressure, leaks occurred and pipes broke. One part suspended over the Parapara River collapsed.

The writer was able to gain some first hand information about the Parapara company as several people knew something of the venture. Richards and Strange, as already stated, had the contract for wagoning the 300 tons of pipes from Collingwood wharf to where they were required at Appo's Flat and elsewhere. These came from Sparrow's foundry in Dunedin and a man named Anderson was sent with a gang to erect them. The whole of the pipes were carted by the two wagons. The pipes were possibly 24 feet (7m) long and the 30 inch (0.7m) diameter ones weighed half a ton each. Then there were the 24 inch (61cm), 18 inch (45cm), and 9 inch (23cm) pipes. The smaller sizes were used near the claim where a 4 inch (10cm) nozzle was used for sluicing. The timber, which was brought from Takaka and the West Coast was mainly heavy 9 inch by 6 inch (23cm x 15cm) planks which were used to timber the tunnel at Richmond Hill. Timber for other purposes was supplied by Grants from their Kaituna mill and this was carted by J. Richards. The track led up the hill from near the Devil's Boots at Rockville and across the pakihi terraces.

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By 1895 the company was in financial difficulties and there were legal proceedings for the settlement of accounts for the supply of pipes and equipment, supply of timber, cartage, and the driving of the tunnel and grading of the pipe track. This appeared to be a dying phase of the company's operations at Appo's Flat.

However work was proceeding at "Washbourn's Face" and it was reported that 28 ounces of gold had been secured for only three weeks work. Also in 1895 Messrs West and Adams applied for a sluicing claim at Appo's Flat and one can only conclude that the Parapara company had ceased operations there. Frederick West bought the nine acres (3.6 ha) of land concerned and this became known as West's Freehold Flat and has continued as freehold land.

The odd reports of the Parapara company during the next few years did not give a very clear picture about operations.

In 1902 the Parapara Hydraulic Sluicing and Mining Coy. was registered and immediately commenced work on an area of 173 acres (70 ha) on the Parapara River. Thirteen men were employed on three shifts. Prospects were apparently encouraging and a stable community life established while a new public hall was built at Parapara.

At Appo's Flat attention was drawn to the possibility of working to a greater depth. A drainage tunnel to act as a tail-race was driven for 620 feet (190m) through a rock spur to work the surface of Appo's Flat down to 25 feet (7.6m). After that elevating was undertaken and by working two lifts the ground was worked down to 90 feet (27.4m). The elevating was done by means of a venturi pump creating a suction which drew the material from the excavation. Men worked at the bottom of the hole breaking boulders to be sucked into the pipes. They had to leave slopes on the side walls as a safety measure and eventually the men were pinched out with insufficient room to work in the bottom.

About an acre in the upper end of this flat had been worked in the early goldfield days by the primitive methods then in use, and it yielded good returns. Reports of workings during the next few years indicated that operations were followed at both Appo's Flat and West's Freehold Flat which must have been adjoining areas. West's house was to the westward of Appo's Flat. One report in 1911 stated that work was down to 70 feet (21.3m) and that the elevating plant was being extended. A sketch of the jet pump and principles used in its operation was made by J. Bassett, mine manager, who stated that the pump lifted water from a depth of 44 feet (13.4m) vertical lift.

The venture ceased during the First World War.

There is still plenty of evidence to indicate where these gold winning operations were carried on. The two large crater-like holes at Appo's Flat, now half filled with water, give mute proof to the size of the enterprise. At Richmond Flat in the gorge of the Parapara River one can still see the page 35concrete and stone dam used to impound the water while part of the equipment which controlled the flow of water to the workings is gradually rusting away.