Alburnia Mine, Thames, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato Region, New Zealandi

Regional Level Types
Alburnia Mine	Mine (Abandoned)
Thames	Town
Thames-Coromandel District	District
Waikato Region	Region
New Zealand	Country

The claim started as the Alburnia, then the New Alburnia, finally and confusingly the Old Alburnia.

The Old Alburnia Gold Mining Company controlled 181 acres, as an irregularly shaped area in Moanataiari Creek, the northern part of Shellback Creek and Waiotahi Creek. Sons of Freedon Reef, Dixons Reef, Christies Reef, Dixies Reef, Reuben Parr Reef, Dawn of Hope Reef, Golden Age Reef were on the lease of 52 acres in the 1890's, expanding to 181 acres by 1908, covering the several former claims from the early days, accessed from numerous adits into extensive underground workings, and a shaft down to a depth of 600 feet from the top of the hill.

In the ground held by the company, there was the new and old Alburnia companies 1887 to around 1926, the Freedom Gold Mining Company 1890-1896, Whau Gold Mining Company 1899-1900, New Whau Gold Mining Company 1891-1901, Dixons No. 1 Syndicate 1888-1890, Dixons Extended Syndicate 1890-1894, Nordenfeldt Syndicate 1890-1894, Flying Creek Syndicate 1891-1892, and Coliban Syndicate 1888-1895. Altogether produced was 35,235 tonnes of ore for 26,939 ounces of gold.

The country rock is andesite, and in the north-east part of the claim complexly altered breccia, with belts of hard dark unaltered andesite. There are three distinct reef channels being Dixons Reef with several branch veins; Success and Star of the South Reefs, and the Sons of Freedom Reef. Most sections contained high values of Au, striking north-east to south-west, dipping north at high angles. The reefs were often lenticular, from a few inches to 12 feet wide. Dixons and Sons of Freedom are parallel reefs. Numerous small branch veins emanate from the Hanging Wall, with clay and quartz grit filled cross reefs, often producing specimen stone where the reefs intersect.

The reefs in general have abundant pyrite, various sulphides, un-named tellurides associated with the gold. The gold grade rapidly decreases below 400 feet from the surface.

Information regarding the early leases within a couple of years of the goldfield being discovered fail to mention the Alburnia lease, the first information found in 1871. In 1883, fire destroyed the changing house, blacksmiths, and office at the Alburnia company, and neighbouring changing house and office at the Whau Mine.

One early report states four miners on Christmas Eve found 864 kg of stone at the mine yielding 85 kg of gold. In 1894 the Alburnia Gold Mining Company purchased the Dixon claim. In 1896 the New Alburnia Gold Mining Company was floated in London. In 1903, the Old Alburnia Gold Mining Company was registered to work the Alburnia and Moanataiari properties at 130 acres, with activity found until 1910.

The Golden Alburnia Gold Mining Company, and Alburnia Gold Mining Company jointly agreed to finance opening the Sons of Freedom Reef levels in 1926.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References