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

Regional Level Types
Moanataiari Mine	- not defined -
Thames	Town
Thames-Coromandel District	District
Waikato Region	Region
New Zealand	Country

Historic gold mine.

This mine operated more or less continuously from shortly after gold was discovered in the area in 1867, until the 1930's. In the early days it was the fourth largest gold producer on the Thames Goldfield, and in 1877 discovered a bonanza of gold in its workings.

In 1877 a shaft was sunk below the No. 9 level, striking one of half a dozen gold bonanzas found on the Thames Goldfield. The bonanza covered an area 30.5 metres long, 24.4 metres vertical, and 1.2 metres wide. Weekly returns over the subsequent weeks amount to 5000-6000 ounces per week. One block the size of a mans head was sent to London to be exhibited, and when processed yielded 750 ounces of gold. In one fortnight 2.5 tonnes of ore was processed for 14 600 ounces. Between 1868 to 1888 the mine produced 141 569 ounces of gold.

From 1888 to 1896 the mine was owned and operated by the New Moanataiari Gold Mining Company producing 38 238 ounces of gold. From 1896 to 1899, the Moanataiari Limited (Anglo-Continental) produced 6168 ounces. Another New Moanataiari Company was formed in 1899. In 1920, acronym candidate the Caledonia Kuranui Moanataiari Consolidated Gold Mining Company was registered to take over the mine. As an example between 1927-1928 the combined area of a number of leases produced 205 ounces of gold, showing the reefs near exhaustion, and not covering expenses. In 1932, the company was wound up, and mining ceased.

Michael Doherty (82) was killed in an accident at the mine, although no further details are provided. Andrews (surname) was killed in a fall of earth in 1878. Underground boss, Harry Lough, was killed in a fall of earth in 1893.

The original Moanataiari lease was on the northern side of Moanataiari Creek, bordered on the south by Non Pareil, west by Caledonian, and Hazelbank, north by the Kuranui, south-east by Point Russell, and east by the Moanataiari Extended leases. The mine eventually took over all these neighbouring leases.

The Moanataiari Tunnel was the most extensive underground working on the goldfield, reaching a length of 3077 feet from the foreshore. The country rock is soft yellowish-grey propylitised andesite, and un-altered hard dark andesite, consisting of augite, and hypersthene, with some conglomerate, and slaty shale as basement. The major Moanataiari Fault crosses the lease north-south at right angels to the quartz lodes. This fault throws the lodes a significant distance, to the point the reefs go by different names to the west and east of the fault. Surprisingly little geology information was found for this important mine.

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