Plutus Mine (Waikoromiko; Lord Charles Beresford), Waikoromiko, Coromandel peninsula, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato Region, New Zealandi

Regional Level Types
Plutus Mine (Waikoromiko; Lord Charles Beresford)	- not defined -
Waikoromiko	- not defined -
Coromandel peninsula	Peninsula
Thames-Coromandel District	District
Waikato Region	Region
New Zealand	Country

The Plutus Mine existed in one form or another from the time the goldfield started in 1868 until 1908, and again in the 1950's. Historic gold mine.

The first notice of the Plutus Gold Mining Company was 1873, with most activity found in 1874, when it opened its battery. Au-Ag is found in quartz veins associated with pyrite and electrum in propylitic altered grey hornblende andesite. Fine pyrite cubes were exposed in the creek. Abundant alluvial gold was found in the Waikoromiko Stream in the early days.

The No. 2 level was driven for 320 feet, said in one source to have been rich in gold, except for 20 feet where the reef pinched. A winze was sunk below the No. 2 level for 80 feet, and another at 50 feet deep.

New mine manager, John Goldsworthy, abandoned the No. 2 level early 1875, to concentrate on the No. 3 level. He intended to drive this to the east through the spur. It is assumed this exhausted the capital for the company, with little gold found, as no information was found until 1885 when the company is liquidated, and its assets sold.

Activity hit a low ebb during the 1880's. However in the mid 1890's there was a gold speculating bubble in London, for Australiasian gold mines. This had largely been generated by a few spectacular gold discoveries in Western Australia. A small number of investors became very rich, while many others lost their money in low grade deposits, director fees, lavish batteries and mine manager residences, and dodgy characters.

The Waikoromiki Gold Mining Company was formed in 1897, with two drives commencing, one under a winze where gold was found in the Plutus, and another on the western boundary.

The Beresford Gold Mining Company was formed in 1908, named after Lord Charles Beresford, a British admiral and politician. Its lease covered part of the old Plutus claim. A low level was driven 240 feet, and that was the last heard from this company.

In 1896 Lillas (Lillis-relative?) and Ryan took out three bags of ore from the lease next to the Waikoromiki at the head of the valley, obtaining 123 ounces. Their next crushing of 2 tonnes of ore produced the remarkable yield of 225 ounces of gold. This area was subsequently incorporated into the Waikoromiki lease.

Lillis and Kayser were working the deposit in the late 1950's, at the time described as two auriferous quartz veins up to 3 feet wide, dipping west 35 degrees, and the other west 70 degrees. The walls were sampled by A. Fleming who was looking for base metals. Galena and sphalerite are noted. The author states he was unable to find the main entrance to the mine, and it is likely many of the old leases in this area can be considered lost localities.

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