Story: Hauraki–Coromandel region

How a gold mine worked

How a gold mine worked

Gold in the Hauraki fields was encased as minute particles in quartz reefs; the underground miner’s work was to excavate the gold-bearing quartz. A network of horizontal (shafts and rises) and vertical (drives and levels) passages were created to reach the quartz reefs. The quartz was wheel-barrowed back along the levels or raised to the surface in a cage powered by a winding wheel (jenny wheel) operating at the surface. The quartz would then be transported to a battery, where it would be crushed to allow the gold to be extracted.

Using this item

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

Source: Tony Nolan, Historic gold trails of the Coromandel. Wellington: Reed, 1977, p. 11

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Paul Monin, 'Hauraki–Coromandel region - Gold mining', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/diagram/30412/how-a-gold-mine-worked (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Paul Monin, updated 1 Apr 2016