The Lucky Dog!

The service car driver will show you Maori Point, and tell you how it came by that name. One afternoon in 1862 a party of Maoris were fording a dangerous river when their dog was swept away by the strong current. After struggling desperately, the dog managed to reach the other side, but he was cut off by perpendicular cliffs which made escape impossible. The dog was too terrified to enter the water again so, risking his life, one of the Maoris swam across to it. To his joy and amazement he found that where the dog had been trying in vain to climb the cliffs it had dislodged the earth in which were glittering specks of gold. Wildly excited at his discovery he signalled to his companions to ford the river. It was late afternoon, but by nightfall, they had collected 300 ozs. of gold which was worth £1,125.