Union Beach Mine (Green Harp), Coromandel, Coromandel Peninsula, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato Region, New Zealandi

Regional Level Types
Union Beach Mine (Green Harp)	Mine
Coromandel	- not defined -
Coromandel Peninsula	Peninsula
Thames-Coromandel District	District
Waikato Region	Region
New Zealand	Country

The Union Beach Mine is (was) one kilometre west of the Coromandel town-site, the main shaft just above the high water mark at the base of the hill bordering McGregor Bay. What remains is uncertain, but most is likely to have been covered over by Long Bay Road, and a boat builder's yard at the site.

The mine was originally the Green Harp, prospected by two brothers in the early 1870's. A rich find of gold was reported, and the mine was sold to the Green Harp Gold Mining Company, floated to develop it, only to discover the deposit had been salted. By this stage the brothers had sailed to Fiji.

The Union Beach Gold Mining Company was floated in Auckland in 1873, to take over the Green Harp Gold Mining Company, Coromandel Beach Gold Mining Company, and Venus Gold Mining Company, and their respective leases. Another controversy erupts in 1874, when the underground mine manager is accused of stealing gold from the mine. The shareholder meeting called is advised the local paper making the accusations had withdrawn the comments, however this appears to be untrue. Several directors were replaced.

Subsequently the man in question, James Stewart, states he has discovered gold in pipeclay on the Ohinemuri River. An investigation of the site finds no gold. Meanwhile Stewart sells the gold, coincidently the same value as the gold missing from the Union Beach Mine. He then flees to Sydney.

In 1877, the company takes over the 15 stamp New Zealand lease battery nearby to crush its own ore. The company discovered a rich leader, proving the salting of the mine was unnecessary. For a time the mine yielded rich specimen stone in the upper levels, however by the late 1870's, the mine was idle for periods, and subject to forfeiture claims.

In 1885, the mine and battery is reported idle, the company awaiting final liquidation. By this stage 200 000 ounces of gold has been extracted from the mine. The mine briefly became the Telephone, before the London based Coromandel Gold Mining Company took over the mine in 1886. As well as the Union Beach claim, the neighbouring United or Palmerston, and Golden Pah claims were included within the Coromandel company's lease. They sank a new shaft on a section called the Blagrove Block. Their intention was the explore the deposit at depth, with prior mining only reaching a depth of 180 feet.

By 1895, the Old Hauraki Gold Mining Company owned most of the leases in the area, which it had let to tributers. Rich stone was found by the tributers in the old Union Beach workings, and when the tributer's agreement reached an end, the company took over the mine again to work itself. For a short time it also found rich gold at a deeper level than the tributers, with one 40 tonne crushing as an example yielding 1606 ounces of gold. The last information found for this operation was 1911.

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