Britannia Mine, Denniston, Buller District, West Coast Region, South Island, New Zealand

Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):	41° 42' 33'' South , 171° 49' 24'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):	-41.70918,171.82344
Köppen climate type:	Cfb : Temperate oceanic climate

Abandoned gold mine. The Britannia Mining Company started mining here in 1896, ceasing 1910. The mine was re-opened in 1925, closing in 1937.

The mine can be found by turning off State Highway 67, just north of Waimangaroa onto O'Connor Road. The road leads a short distance through farmland to a car park. A walking trail continues up the valley.

After 20 minutes is a sign directing walkers onto a side track, and the gold fossicking area. This is a public fossicking site, where hand tools are allowed, and no permit is required. The designated area is from the abandoned gold mine to the beginning of the farmland downstream.

The second side track leads to the Republic battery site, with a few scattered relics. The third track leads to an old adit full of cave wetas. The track becomes rougher, and then drops a short distance through thick forest to the Britannia battery. The site has interpretive signs, and contains a well preserved stamp battery from the latter mining period, cyanide tanks, pelton wheel, berdan pan, and numerous collected smaller relics, in a small flat clearing on the side of the hill. Leave everything as you find it, as large fines apply for stealing.

The track is 9 kilometres return, taking about 3 hours to walk. Grades are relatively easy.

Mineral List

1 valid mineral.

Regional Geology

This geological map and associated information on rock units at or nearby to the coordinates given for this locality is based on relatively small scale geological maps provided by various national Geological Surveys. This does not necessarily represent the complete geology at this locality but it gives a background for the region in which it is found.

Click on geological units on the map for more information. Click here to view full-screen map on Macrostrat.org

Rhuddanian - Jiangshanian 440.8 - 494 Ma ID: 1359667

Greenland Group metasediment Age: Paleozoic (440.8 - 494 Ma) Stratigraphic Name: Buller Terrane; Greenland Group Description: Undifferentiated greenish-grey quartzose greywacke and argillite; locally hornfelsed close to granitoid plutons. Comments: Basement (Western Province) metamorphic rocks. Age based on Based on stratigraphic age range Lithology: Major:: {sandstone},Minor:: {mudstone} Reference: Heron, D.W. . Geology Map of New Zealand 1:250 000. GNS Science Geological Map 1. [13]

Ordovician - Late Cambrian 443.8 - 501 Ma ID: 1310233

Greenland Group metasedimentary rocks Age: Paleozoic (443.8 - 501 Ma) Stratigraphic Name: Greenland Group; Greenland Group metasedimentary rocks Description: Quartzose metasandstone and metamudstone, hornfelsed near plutons and locally schistose. Comments: Western Province (Buller Terrane) Rocks Lithology: Sandstone, mudstone, schist Reference: Edbrooke, S.W., Heron, D.W., Forsyth, P.J., Jongens, R. (compilers). Geology Map of New Zealand 1:1 000 000. GNS Science Geological Map 2. [12]

Data and map coding provided by Macrostrat.org, used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License

External Links