Southern South Island Gold Fields

Southern South Island Gold Fields

  • DATE-TIME

    Date(s) - Sunday, 12/02/2017 - Friday, 17/02/2017

  • Location
    TBA

  • Category(ies)


gold17 White Island banner

Dave Craw

Dave Craw – tour leader

Led by Dave Craw this field trip to the Otago and Southland goldfields, visits historic sites, active mines and prospects.  The trip will visit placer and orogenic gold deposits. The provisional itinerary is below. This geological trip assumes a normal level of field fitness. Participants will need to be able to walk for two or more hours over uneven terrain.

Dave is Professor of economic geology at University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. He has worked on gold and tectonically driven hydrothermal fluid flow in ancient and modern mountain belts around the world for the past 30 years. He has particular experience with orogenic and placer gold deposits of the South Island of New Zealand, including the Otago Schist and the world-class Macraes orogenic deposit.

Sunday 12th February:

Fly to Dunedin (delegates to make their own flight bookings at their own expense). Overnight in Dunedin (road transport in SI and accommodation included).

Monday 13th February:

Depart early for Lawrence, placer deposit, site of Otago gold rush initiation in 1861. Drive via Raes Junction to Southland, visit Waikaia active placer mine. Drive to Queenstown for night.

Tuesday 14th February:

Drive to Glenorchy, visit historic scheelite mining area; involves 1-2 hours walking. Afternoon, drive to Skippers Canyon, orogenic and placer gold mining area. Return to Queenstown accommodation.

Wednesday 15th February:

Drive to Rise & Shine historic orogenic and placer mining area, examine prospectivity with respect to abundant recent drilling Drive over Dunstan Range (weather and road permitting), visit Conroys Gully historic placer and orogenic mining area. Night in Alexandra.

Thursday 16th February:

Drive via Ophir historic placer and orogenic mining area to St Bathans historic placer mine. Visit Oturehua orogenic vein system, mined historically and extensively prospected recently. Night in Naseby.

Friday 17th February:

Drive via Hyde to Oceana Gold’s Macraes mine. Drive via Golden Bar road to Golden Bar pit for visit of old open cut. Overnight accommodation in Dunedin included.

40 CPD HoursSaturday 18th February

Travel to Rotorua (own arrangements).

For further information on this event or to discuss sponsorship opportunities contact rotorua2017@geosymposia.com.au

The conference brochure also provides additional information for this event.