Tarawera Mine, Preservation Inlet, Fiordland National Park, Southland District, Southland Region, New Zealandi

Regional Level Types
Tarawera Mine	Mine
Preservation Inlet	- not defined -
Fiordland National Park	National Park
Southland District	District
Southland Region	Region
New Zealand	Country

Abandoned gold and base metal mine.

The mine is near the shoreline on the northern side of Preservation Inlet, on Isthmus Sound. It can only be reached by boat, and is screened from the water by trees.

The mine was operational 1895-1897, and 1908-1911.

The auriferous and base metal sulphides quartz veins cut coarse grained porphyritic sheared Treble Mountain Granite. There are two veins, one on the foreshore accessed by an open cut, and a second just inland, where the majority of mining took place. The foreshore vein trends south-east to north-west, dip 75 degrees south-west. The inland vein trends east-west and dips south at a high angle, 2-3 feet thick. The veins are milky white quartz, containing significant sulphides of arsenopyrite, honey brown coloured sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite, and pyrite.

The deposit was discovered by William Bradshaw (12), son of Edward Bradshaw. The mine is named after a steamer, which called into the inlet regularly at the time. A company was formed with 25 000 pounds capital, mainly Christchurch shareholders.

Work began in 1897, with a drive for 80 feet, reaching 50 feet below the sea level. Blasting fractured the roof, and sea water began seeping in. A pump was installed, but it was unable to cope with the amount of water, and the mine closed, before other than test ore had been extracted.

In 1908, Donald McKenzie re-opened the mine, with plans for a smelter to process gold, but also the base metals from the complex lode. The Tawawera Mining and Smelting Company was formed. Charles E. Storie was mining engineer responsible for erecting the smelter, which was completed early 1910.

At this point the company had run out of money, and requested more from the shareholders. Little then happened until June 1911, when the first amount of 35 tonnes of ore was processed. The smelting process did not work, and four months later the company was in liquidation.
The site contains an unusual inclined brick chimney, which 'runs' up a slope.

"Stockpiles of all four major components of the smelter charge still exist at the smelter site: ore, limestone flux, ironstone (iron slag) and coke." (Petchey, 2009)

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