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AddBy: Alister MacPherson10th May 2023 9:10PMSo great to see something positive on the Coast,both my Grandmother & Great Grandmother were residents in Blackwater,my Father worked on Grey River Dredge my Grandfather did much of the bore testing for both the Snowy River & Slab Hut dredges.I will be keen to have a look next time I am in locality.My Father lived on Totara Flat,Alister MacPherson
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Snowy river Goldmine
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DescriptionThe new underground gold mine starting up the Snowy river headed for WaiutaMap[1] ContributorHeath Bagnall
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Location (city or town)WaiutaSnowy riverOrganisation (eg business)Snowy river GoldmineEventThe new underground gold mine starting up the Snowy river headed for Waiuta
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Category TagGoldmining
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Date Created23rd December 2020CommentsJanet Jones
It's called the Snowy River Gold Mine. great photo.
Chris Barnes
Janet Jones do you mean the Blackwater mine?
Laura Mills Detlaff
it’s now called Snowy River - they changed the name
Graham Southward
Awesome
Terry Kingi
Which companies running it?
Dave Perry
Terry Kingi Federation Mining
Terry Kingi
Dave Perry are heading in the direction of waitua mine?
Dave Perry
Terry Kingi Yep Blackwater
Flag Mckenzie
Terry Kingi Tasman resources. Did a deal with Mcraes over the license.0
Flag Mckenzie
Current drilling has identified 700,000 ounces of gold with further drilling expected to enlarge on this.
Myron Caldwell
Flag Mckenzie with current price of gold they would need to find that much to make sure they recovered all their costs.
Clare Pierson
Myron Caldwell prices are up
Terry Kingi
Where will they refine the gold?
Flag Mckenzie
Terry Kingi. I believe some will be refined on site and some sent to Mcraes flat similar situation to what happened at Globe hill.
Flag Mckenzie
Just heard it will all be treated on site and the tailings put back underground as the area is mined.
Karlene Jane Batchelor
Lots of Jobs advertised for this at the moment.... A Gold Rush is coming West
Kerry Lay
Karlene Jane Batchelor Wear are the jobs advertised please ??
Karlene Jane Batchelor
Kerry Lay on seek
Kerry Lay
Karlene Jane Batchelor Thank you
Michael Riki
It use to snow there a lot that’s how it got it’s name snowy river
Spanners Watson
My grandfather mined there when he was young .he allways said there was alot more gold there
Mark Boon
Theresa Boon
Martin Griffin
Good to hear it is back - family connection to Waiuta/Blackwater
Allan Gibson
its progress great for the coast
Myron Caldwell
I just hope that the survey work was thorough, and they make money out of this project. Won't water be a problem for them?
Flag Mckenzie
Myron Caldwell Large amount of drilling showed a very viable resource and modern pumps will easilly handle the water.
Trevor Alty
Flag Mckenzie . Pity you arent a bit younger Flag, with the nickname "Crushit" you would fly in for a job.
Flag Mckenzie
Trevor Alty Havent used that name for a while Trev but I have been up and had a look.Interesting project good to see it happening.
Myron Caldwell
Flag Mckenzie. Water was a problem from memory at Waiuta when they closed her down, was it not?. We took a mate up there a couple of weeks ago, on a nostalgic trip for the Caldwell boys. used to sit in a cubby on the back of dads truck to see Inangahua play the Waiuta team. Women would push prams out to obstruct the visiting player from scoring tries. Then the two teams would sing together in the pub after. Nostalgic visit was the right term.
Fletcher Anderson
I reckon I can see Jim Craig and Jessica Harrison in that photo.
Graeme Jackson
Great news for the West Coast and Buller regions
Lily Verschnaetti
Graeme Jackson Why is it great News for the westcoast and Buller? Distroying more land for a handful of gold which goes to a even smaller group of people? They should create real jobs with less risk. Just my 5 cents of thoughts.
David Robinson
Lily Verschnaetti what jobs do you suggest you bloody idiot.
Graham Hay
Lily Verschnaetti they aren't destroying much land, it's an underground mine.
Wayne Nicholson
The land isnt destroyed even in open cast. It goes back to original or better these days.
Maree Lawlor
Lily Verschnaetti what in your opinion is a real job?
Flag Mckenzie
Maree Lawlor Probably picking lillies.
Geoffrey Collis
Lily Verschnaetti No land destroyed all that land is private land belonging to BJ McInroe, it has all been previously mined and was just a gorse block and will be handed back in a better state.
Maree Lawlor
Flag Mckenzie nothing wrong with picking lillie's either but I cant understand why she thinks those thoughts are worth five cents Overcharge I would say
Eileen O'Neil
Daniel Tomlinson
Karen Thomson
My great grandfather William Meates was one of the 4 miners who discovered the original gold reef on the 9/11/1905. He gave the town it's name, opened a general store & the first school there.
Graham Hardrock Jennings
Great news for the coast.good to hear
Shona Simmons
Paul Laugesen this might be interesting....
John Pearce
Awesome
Paul Thomas
More correctly it is an exploration project to determine the extent of the gold resource! If the modelling after the intersect drilling proves the resource is commercially viable then further significant investment will be made to enable an underground mining operation to occur. It’s estimated that there is 600,000oz of gold resource to be recovered over a 10 year period. To enable the exploration drilling to be established 900m below surface two parallel decline drives of 3.3km in length are being developed from the portal in the photograph!
Allan Archer
Paul Thomas , 'more correctly', they are decline drives from the portal....its not a fishing operation
Paul Thomas
Allan Archer I wrote drives but predictive txting changed drives to shafts I’ve now made the correction - thank you for noticing
Allan Archer
Paul Thomas ,,Excellent! .make sure you close the porthole ,before you enter the portal
Michaela Perkins
how ugly
Duncan Hamilton
Michaela Perkins poverty is uglier
Michaela Perkins
Duncan Hamilton but who gets richer? how many homes will be built with the money? and do these guys treat their staff well, are they safe, does management cut costs...... we know that cost all too well!
Graham Hay
Michaela Perkins looks beautiful to Me, it's called progress.
Michaela Perkins
Graham Hay true progress would be to house the homeless.
Image may contain: text that says '"I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WHEN WE DESTROY SOMETHING CREATED BY MAN WE CALL IT VANDALISM, BUT WHEN WE DESTROY SOMETHING CREATED BY NATURE WE CALL IT PROGRESS." -Ed Begley Jr.'
Robert Oakly
Michaela Perkins its brilliant go for more
David Cook
Michaela Perkins houses for the homeless or anybody, requires money
Graham Hay
Michaela Perkins I fail to see what mining has to do with housing homeless.
Wayne Searle
Michaela Perkins You live in Oxford, People in Glass houses shouldnt throw stones, look at your own area
Barbara Macilquham
Michaela Perkins they will probably get paid extremely well.far better than any tourism job or the dole
Wayne Nicholson
Michaela Perkins . Stick to ya knitting, its jobs and employment .
Louise Blair
Michaela Perkins you go up that road often? I used to live up there and last time I went tiki touring I wasn't worried . You should drive up and see first hand.
Karl Barkley
Graham Hay For Every 1 Mining Job on the Coast it Creates 7½ Job's in small Towns like Reefton, Ikamatua, Ahura etc Which Help's Keep People Living on The Coast ! No need for Government Handouts !!
Karlene Jane Batchelor
Michaela Perkins indeed this will House so many .. currently.we have Gold Miners living in Tents, Caravans and Cars...trying to make a living panning in open fossiking areas... Our west coast Towns that have been hit so hard in recent years really need… See More
Stuart Hannah
Funny how the West Coast has 5 of the 13 National Parks in New Zealand but thats still not enough for so many people. Think they would be happy if everyone just left and let the bush reclaim it all!
Flag Mckenzie
Michaela Perkins Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Most of the scarring in the photo was caused by the harvesting of pine trees recently.If you havent been to Waiuta for a few years maybe do a trip to get a better idea of what is happening.
Craig Smith
Stuart Hannah yup it's a seat that cant even kick out its MP because it merged with Tasman
Mind you labour has had no respect for the coast for years. Factor in how they side with the greens and the coast struggles
June Briggs
Great to see a bit of progress for the coast
Snow Webber
Awesome to see
Snow Webber
Chris Webber
Layne Green
Great news
Anita Fairweather
Allan Fairweather your work xx
Steve Jones
Jobs ?
Karlene Jane Batchelor
Steve Jones currently advertising quite a few positions on the seek website...
Bill Cornelius
Waiuta seems to have been the focus of many proposals but are any likely to come to fruition?
Barbara Macilquham
Bill Cornelius hope so
Marg Blackburn
Gary Blackburn
Lynne Mcmurray
Stuart Mcmurray
Anna Jensen
Every under ground mine on the coast ends in tradgity. No job is worth a life when are coasters going to wake up..
Anita Fairweather
Anna Jensen bold (albeit incorrect) statement... yes there have been tragedies but it is absolutely not correct that every underground mine on the West Coast has ended in tragedy.
Barbara Macilquham
Anna Jensen this is a GOLD mine.not coal.i hope it goes ahead
Louise Blair
Barbara Macilquham agree. No gasses to explode.
· Reply · 2d
Anna Jensen
No photo description available.
· Reply · 2d
Anna Jensen
Image may contain: text that says '21:29 X Beaconsfield Min... en.m.wikipedia.org WIKIPEDIA Beaconsfield Mine collapse The Beaconsfield gold mine collapsed on 25 April 2006 in Beaconsfield, Tasmania, Australia. Of the seventeen people who were in the mine the time, fourteen escaped immediately following the collapse, one was killed and the remaining two were found alive on the sixth day by miners Pat Ball and Steve Saltmarsh. These two miners were rescued on 9 May 2006, two weeks after being trapped nearly a kilometre below the surface. George outh Bridport Beauty Scottedale Beaconsfield Ringaros AUNCESTON Evandale'
· Reply · 2d
Anna Jensen
Image may contain: text that says '21:29 X 2009 Harmony en.m.wikipedia.org WIKIPEDIA 2009 Harmony Gold mine deaths "Harmony Gold Mine" redirects here For the cricket ground, see Harmony Gold Mine Cricket Club A Ground. The 2009 Harmony Gold mine deaths occurred in late May and early June 2009 in Free State province, South Africa. At least 82 miners, many from Lesotho, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, died from inhalation of poisonous May 18 fire in the gasses created by mineshaft.'
· Reply · 2d
Anna Jensen
It's not just the gas. Underground mining is so dangerous wouldn't let me sons ever work in one and I do believe Waiuta was flooded out which is why it was abondoned what is to stop this happening again and why can't they just open cast it and then replant it with native plants and trees
· Reply · 2d
Barbara Macilquham
Anna Jensen yes it should all be open cast.only problem is we have arsehole greenies who love to stop progress.that is why pike was underground.hopefully lessons have been learnt and if kiwis run it they won't put up with any shite from bosses.
· Reply · 2d
Megzy Pitt
Anna Jensen this exactly
It's called the Snowy River Gold Mine. great photo.
Chris Barnes
Janet Jones do you mean the Blackwater mine?
Laura Mills Detlaff
it’s now called Snowy River - they changed the name
Graham Southward
Awesome
Terry Kingi
Which companies running it?
Dave Perry
Terry Kingi Federation Mining
Terry Kingi
Dave Perry are heading in the direction of waitua mine?
Dave Perry
Terry Kingi Yep Blackwater
Flag Mckenzie
Terry Kingi Tasman resources. Did a deal with Mcraes over the license.0
Flag Mckenzie
Current drilling has identified 700,000 ounces of gold with further drilling expected to enlarge on this.
Myron Caldwell
Flag Mckenzie with current price of gold they would need to find that much to make sure they recovered all their costs.
Clare Pierson
Myron Caldwell prices are up
Terry Kingi
Where will they refine the gold?
Flag Mckenzie
Terry Kingi. I believe some will be refined on site and some sent to Mcraes flat similar situation to what happened at Globe hill.
Flag Mckenzie
Just heard it will all be treated on site and the tailings put back underground as the area is mined.
Karlene Jane Batchelor
Lots of Jobs advertised for this at the moment.... A Gold Rush is coming West
Kerry Lay
Karlene Jane Batchelor Wear are the jobs advertised please ??
Karlene Jane Batchelor
Kerry Lay on seek
Kerry Lay
Karlene Jane Batchelor Thank you
Michael Riki
It use to snow there a lot that’s how it got it’s name snowy river
Spanners Watson
My grandfather mined there when he was young .he allways said there was alot more gold there
Mark Boon
Theresa Boon
Martin Griffin
Good to hear it is back - family connection to Waiuta/Blackwater
Allan Gibson
its progress great for the coast
Myron Caldwell
I just hope that the survey work was thorough, and they make money out of this project. Won't water be a problem for them?
Flag Mckenzie
Myron Caldwell Large amount of drilling showed a very viable resource and modern pumps will easilly handle the water.
Trevor Alty
Flag Mckenzie . Pity you arent a bit younger Flag, with the nickname "Crushit" you would fly in for a job.
Flag Mckenzie
Trevor Alty Havent used that name for a while Trev but I have been up and had a look.Interesting project good to see it happening.
Myron Caldwell
Flag Mckenzie. Water was a problem from memory at Waiuta when they closed her down, was it not?. We took a mate up there a couple of weeks ago, on a nostalgic trip for the Caldwell boys. used to sit in a cubby on the back of dads truck to see Inangahua play the Waiuta team. Women would push prams out to obstruct the visiting player from scoring tries. Then the two teams would sing together in the pub after. Nostalgic visit was the right term.
Fletcher Anderson
I reckon I can see Jim Craig and Jessica Harrison in that photo.
Graeme Jackson
Great news for the West Coast and Buller regions
Lily Verschnaetti
Graeme Jackson Why is it great News for the westcoast and Buller? Distroying more land for a handful of gold which goes to a even smaller group of people? They should create real jobs with less risk. Just my 5 cents of thoughts.
David Robinson
Lily Verschnaetti what jobs do you suggest you bloody idiot.
Graham Hay
Lily Verschnaetti they aren't destroying much land, it's an underground mine.
Wayne Nicholson
The land isnt destroyed even in open cast. It goes back to original or better these days.
Maree Lawlor
Lily Verschnaetti what in your opinion is a real job?
Flag Mckenzie
Maree Lawlor Probably picking lillies.
Geoffrey Collis
Lily Verschnaetti No land destroyed all that land is private land belonging to BJ McInroe, it has all been previously mined and was just a gorse block and will be handed back in a better state.
Maree Lawlor
Flag Mckenzie nothing wrong with picking lillie's either but I cant understand why she thinks those thoughts are worth five cents Overcharge I would say
Eileen O'Neil
Daniel Tomlinson
Karen Thomson
My great grandfather William Meates was one of the 4 miners who discovered the original gold reef on the 9/11/1905. He gave the town it's name, opened a general store & the first school there.
Graham Hardrock Jennings
Great news for the coast.good to hear
Shona Simmons
Paul Laugesen this might be interesting....
John Pearce
Awesome
Paul Thomas
More correctly it is an exploration project to determine the extent of the gold resource! If the modelling after the intersect drilling proves the resource is commercially viable then further significant investment will be made to enable an underground mining operation to occur. It’s estimated that there is 600,000oz of gold resource to be recovered over a 10 year period. To enable the exploration drilling to be established 900m below surface two parallel decline drives of 3.3km in length are being developed from the portal in the photograph!
Allan Archer
Paul Thomas , 'more correctly', they are decline drives from the portal....its not a fishing operation
Paul Thomas
Allan Archer I wrote drives but predictive txting changed drives to shafts I’ve now made the correction - thank you for noticing
Allan Archer
Paul Thomas ,,Excellent! .make sure you close the porthole ,before you enter the portal
Michaela Perkins
how ugly
Duncan Hamilton
Michaela Perkins poverty is uglier
Michaela Perkins
Duncan Hamilton but who gets richer? how many homes will be built with the money? and do these guys treat their staff well, are they safe, does management cut costs...... we know that cost all too well!
Graham Hay
Michaela Perkins looks beautiful to Me, it's called progress.
Michaela Perkins
Graham Hay true progress would be to house the homeless.
Image may contain: text that says '"I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WHEN WE DESTROY SOMETHING CREATED BY MAN WE CALL IT VANDALISM, BUT WHEN WE DESTROY SOMETHING CREATED BY NATURE WE CALL IT PROGRESS." -Ed Begley Jr.'
Robert Oakly
Michaela Perkins its brilliant go for more
David Cook
Michaela Perkins houses for the homeless or anybody, requires money
Graham Hay
Michaela Perkins I fail to see what mining has to do with housing homeless.
Wayne Searle
Michaela Perkins You live in Oxford, People in Glass houses shouldnt throw stones, look at your own area
Barbara Macilquham
Michaela Perkins they will probably get paid extremely well.far better than any tourism job or the dole
Wayne Nicholson
Michaela Perkins . Stick to ya knitting, its jobs and employment .
Louise Blair
Michaela Perkins you go up that road often? I used to live up there and last time I went tiki touring I wasn't worried . You should drive up and see first hand.
Karl Barkley
Graham Hay For Every 1 Mining Job on the Coast it Creates 7½ Job's in small Towns like Reefton, Ikamatua, Ahura etc Which Help's Keep People Living on The Coast ! No need for Government Handouts !!
Karlene Jane Batchelor
Michaela Perkins indeed this will House so many .. currently.we have Gold Miners living in Tents, Caravans and Cars...trying to make a living panning in open fossiking areas... Our west coast Towns that have been hit so hard in recent years really need… See More
Stuart Hannah
Funny how the West Coast has 5 of the 13 National Parks in New Zealand but thats still not enough for so many people. Think they would be happy if everyone just left and let the bush reclaim it all!
Flag Mckenzie
Michaela Perkins Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Most of the scarring in the photo was caused by the harvesting of pine trees recently.If you havent been to Waiuta for a few years maybe do a trip to get a better idea of what is happening.
Craig Smith
Stuart Hannah yup it's a seat that cant even kick out its MP because it merged with Tasman
Mind you labour has had no respect for the coast for years. Factor in how they side with the greens and the coast struggles
June Briggs
Great to see a bit of progress for the coast
Snow Webber
Awesome to see
Snow Webber
Chris Webber
Layne Green
Great news
Anita Fairweather
Allan Fairweather your work xx
Steve Jones
Jobs ?
Karlene Jane Batchelor
Steve Jones currently advertising quite a few positions on the seek website...
Bill Cornelius
Waiuta seems to have been the focus of many proposals but are any likely to come to fruition?
Barbara Macilquham
Bill Cornelius hope so
Marg Blackburn
Gary Blackburn
Lynne Mcmurray
Stuart Mcmurray
Anna Jensen
Every under ground mine on the coast ends in tradgity. No job is worth a life when are coasters going to wake up..
Anita Fairweather
Anna Jensen bold (albeit incorrect) statement... yes there have been tragedies but it is absolutely not correct that every underground mine on the West Coast has ended in tragedy.
Barbara Macilquham
Anna Jensen this is a GOLD mine.not coal.i hope it goes ahead
Louise Blair
Barbara Macilquham agree. No gasses to explode.
· Reply · 2d
Anna Jensen
No photo description available.
· Reply · 2d
Anna Jensen
Image may contain: text that says '21:29 X Beaconsfield Min... en.m.wikipedia.org WIKIPEDIA Beaconsfield Mine collapse The Beaconsfield gold mine collapsed on 25 April 2006 in Beaconsfield, Tasmania, Australia. Of the seventeen people who were in the mine the time, fourteen escaped immediately following the collapse, one was killed and the remaining two were found alive on the sixth day by miners Pat Ball and Steve Saltmarsh. These two miners were rescued on 9 May 2006, two weeks after being trapped nearly a kilometre below the surface. George outh Bridport Beauty Scottedale Beaconsfield Ringaros AUNCESTON Evandale'
· Reply · 2d
Anna Jensen
Image may contain: text that says '21:29 X 2009 Harmony en.m.wikipedia.org WIKIPEDIA 2009 Harmony Gold mine deaths "Harmony Gold Mine" redirects here For the cricket ground, see Harmony Gold Mine Cricket Club A Ground. The 2009 Harmony Gold mine deaths occurred in late May and early June 2009 in Free State province, South Africa. At least 82 miners, many from Lesotho, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, died from inhalation of poisonous May 18 fire in the gasses created by mineshaft.'
· Reply · 2d
Anna Jensen
It's not just the gas. Underground mining is so dangerous wouldn't let me sons ever work in one and I do believe Waiuta was flooded out which is why it was abondoned what is to stop this happening again and why can't they just open cast it and then replant it with native plants and trees
· Reply · 2d
Barbara Macilquham
Anna Jensen yes it should all be open cast.only problem is we have arsehole greenies who love to stop progress.that is why pike was underground.hopefully lessons have been learnt and if kiwis run it they won't put up with any shite from bosses.
· Reply · 2d
Megzy Pitt
Anna Jensen this exactly
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West Coast New Zealand History (23rd Aug 2022). Snowy river Goldmine. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 12th Apr 2026 11:45, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/28797