Copper Ore.

Copper mines have been worked in Auckland on Great Barrier Island and Kawau Island, and to a small extent in Doubtless Bay. It has been found associated with the metamorphic rocks in Otago page 49 and at Waipori, where a 4-ft. sulphide of copper (pyrites) lode exists. An attempt to trace this lode was made for a short time and then abandoned.

A carbonate of copper is found in the same locality, but only in rolled fragments.

Copper has also been found in the form of cuprite and copper-glance in the Dun Mountain, Nelson; and a few miles to the south in Aniseed Valley extensive works have been commenced by the Champion Mining Company; and on D'Urville Island, at which latter place the ore has been traced to a depth of 100ft., some of the better samples from this place yielding as much as 45 per cent, of copper.

A lode of copper-pyrites mixed with pyrrhotine has also been discovered in Dusky Sound, Otago, and an attempt has been made to open up a mine at that place.

An interesting occurrence of native copper disseminated as fine grains through a granular serpentinous rock should also be noted. The extent of the ore is as yet unknown, but it occurs in the serpentine mineral belt of Nelson.

Cupreous iron ore in serpentine has been found at Dun Mountain. It is interesting from its being slightly auriferous.

Copper-pyrites is present in a lode 3ft. to 5ft. thick in mica-schist, at Moke Creek, Wakatipu Lake : it is associated with carbonate and native copper. The ore contains the high proportion of 11 to 55 per cent, of metallic copper, the usual average of Cornish ore being only 5 per cent. There is limestone in close vicinity to the lode, so that there would be no difficulty in reducing the ore to a "regulus," in which state it would save cost in shipment.

Near Collingwood, Nelson, a lode has been opened up, and contains 22 to 25 per cent, of metallic copper.

Grey sulphide, found at Wangapeka, Nelson, contains 55 per cent, of copper, together with a little silver and gold.

In Kawau Island, Auckland, the lode first produced 16 per cent, of copper, and then fell off to 8 per cent., and at the bottom of the workings to about 5 per cent. The width of the lode was 8ft. The workings were discontinued chiefly on account of the high price of coal consequent on gold discoveries.

In Great Barrier Island the ore (pyrites) occurs in a quartz matrix. A fair sample of the mixed specimen afforded 26.62 per cent, of copper. The Otea Copper-Mining Company worked this pyrites ore to a considerable extent.

Up to 1878 2,370¼ tons of copper, valued at £36,217 were exported from the colony, but since then only small shipments of ore have been made.