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Story: Gold and gold mining

Northburn tailings

Northburn tailings

These distinctive scars are at Northburn on the shores of Lake Dunstan, Central Otago. The gravel terraces have been sluiced away and large boulders have been stacked in rows along waste-water channels to produce this fern-like pattern. Vineyards have been established nearby (upper right).

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Department of Conservation

by Kevin Jones

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How to cite this page

Carl Walrond, Gold and gold mining – Dredging, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/8630/northburn-tailings (accessed 11 June 2026).

Story by Carl Walrond, published 2 March 2009.

Comments

Gilbert van Reenen
31 October 2011
Its not actually vineyard showing at the top of the image as mentioned in your caption - those are border dykes which is a pasture irrigation system commonly used in Central Otago. There are vineyards nearby but some distance from the Herringbone Tailings - not alongside them.