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Relating to the Payn, Scettrini and Lalor families who lived in the Kumara area.
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DescriptionI am coming to the South Island in Jan-Feb and plan to do some more exploring in the Kumara area, where my Payn, Scettrini and Lalor ancestors lived. I have one specific question, about the location of the Larrikins mining area. Frank Payn, my great-grandfather, was one of the Larrikins that discovered gold in this area around 1877-78. Quite some years ago my Uncle Jack Lalor took me for a walk around near/behind the Londonderry Rock, where there are huge piles of rock tailings piled high. I labelled the photos I took at the time as being from Larrikins- but I am not sure if this is correct, or whether Uncle Jack was showing me a later mining area. I am attaching the photos, and I wonder if anyone in this group knows about this.Map[1] ContributorMargaret Riordan
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Location (city or town)KumaraLarrikansPersonPaynScettrini LalorEventRelating to the Payn, Scettrini and Lalor families who in the Kumara area.
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Category TagGoldmining
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Date Created13th December 2022CommentsJo Wickett
My husband grew up in kumara and said it’s in the right area..
Jo Wickett
Lloyd Murphy ? Can you help
Lloyd Murphy
Jo Wickett Gav would have a better idea than me, I played in there loads as a kid, I remember the army opening it up on exercise in the 80s and Mother Nature took her back. Not sure if it’s been reopened though - lots of mining between there and the school I think?
Margaret Riordan
Lloyd Murphy Thanks Lloyd. So it probably isn’t accessible, but this is the general area of Larrikins?
Lloyd Murphy
Margaret Riordan yes absolutely. My Dad was the foreman for Highways Construction when they build the Dillmans Hydroelectric Scheme ‘76 -‘78, the canal between Dillmanstown and Kumara stations is pretty much the Eastern border of that general area.
Margaret Riordan
Lloyd Murphy Thank you, I will be marking a map with all these details before I head down there.
Jo Wickett
You can get in to Londonderry rock easy enough
Catherine Cameron
It's certainly in the right area but I think the access to the actual Larrikins is pretty over grown now. It is a lovely area to explore though. Rosemarie Searle could you ask Gerard please?
Melissa Henriksen
Hi margaret. Frank payn was my great uncle. There's alot of information on the boards in kumara and "payn track" is now clearly marked thanks to joe payn on the opposite side of the road to the rock. Well worth the walk
Margaret Riordan
Melissa Henriksen We will be related Melissa:-) The Frank Payn who discovered gold was my great-grandfather, but he also had a son Frank Payn named after him, who remained a bachelor. My grandmother was Rose Payn, daughter of Frank Payn and Johanna Sce… See more
Melissa Henriksen
Margaret Riordan yes just realised you meant francis payn. He was my great grandfather also. My granddad was albert payn
Margaret Riordan
Melissa Henriksen So you would be one of the many Payn second cousins I am related to that I don't know!
Margaret Riordan
Melissa Henriksen I just messaged you a photo of My Great-UNcle Albert- from about 1992.
Bruce Baxter
Get yourself a copy of the book , New Zealand’s last gold rush , by William Heinz this will give you all the information you will need plus maps
Glenn Johnston
Yes, as others have said that is the right general area though I think the small settlement called Larrikins was further to the SSE. From memory one former Payn mining claim has a track to it it and is sign posted. That used to be the case anyway. That…
Margaret Riordan
Glenn Johnston Yes, I have walked the Payn Track, and I think that might be part of the reason for my uncertainty- I never realised they were two separate claim areas.
Geoffrey Bell
A great aunt of mine was born in Larrikins in 1891. Larrikins was over the back, Southeast, of Dillmanstown. You can see Larrikins Road on this map. It is long gone.
Steve Hutt
Geoffrey Bell Larrikins rd is still there and is now part of the cycle way as a shared rd.
Margaret Riordan
Steve Hutt Excellent. I am bringing my cycle down and hope to do some of this cycle way.
Jonathan Tough
I live on the old cottage site were j. Payne was born in 1930 on the old road east side of highway next to the hydro power water pipe my driveway has Paynes track that leads into kumara surrounded with old workings an tailings. J Payne lives in kumara in his 90s now
Margaret Riordan
Jonathan Tough I will be walking that track sometime between mid-Jan and mid-Feb, so I might notice your house.
Margaret Riordan
Yes, I have been on Payn’s Track a few years back. Joe Payn actually died earlier this year I think. There were several of the older Payn men all died in recent months.
Glenn Johnston
Margaret Riordan I've scanned this 1959 White's Aviation photo captioned by the late Bill Heinz and it shows the relativity of the former Larrikins settlement to other places. The Larrikin's gold strike was the south eastern portion of the Kumara Goldfield.
Glenn Johnston
Note that north is not at the top of this photo.
Barbara Scott
Glenn Johnston I see they marked the most important places - the site of the whiskey still
Margaret Riordan
Thank you Glenn Johnston that really shows how things fit together. The large white building just below the goldfield, nearly on the right hand side, I am guessing it might be the Catholic Church?
Bridget Collins
Margaret Riordan I zoomed in to find the church as our family home was across the road where my Grandmother grew up. Such great memories visiting my great Aunts and Uncle’s
Mary Moffitt
Glenn Johnston Thank you Glenn. This photo really helps me too. The first husband of my great grandmother, John Damico/Domico was a carpenter at Dillmsnstown. Probably also after the gold.
Margaret Riordan
Actually GLenn, you also gave me a map some time ago for finding where Big Dam was at Goldsborough, and the track there. My Scettrini family lived at Big Dam before moving to Kumara.
Glenn Johnston
Margaret Riordan I've done a lot of wandering over the years and have even climbed those four named mountains in the photo multiple times.
Jonathan Tough
Malcolm Broad
I new of Larrikin family in Rotomanu.
Bill Garth
Malcolm BroadLarkins. Farmers and owned a couple of good gallopers
Malcolm Broad
Bill Garth Jack Larkin owned the Jackson pub when I knew him.I married a Ryan.
Heath White
Our parents own larrikins
Jim Conaghan
I have always wanted to know more about Larrikins. My fathers birth certificate shows he was born at Larrikins in 1896,
Gail White
We live on Larrikins Road & Larrikins is at the top end from our place my partner knows where it is as has lived in Kumara all his life
Gail White
The Council asked us to recommend a name for our road & Adrian asked for it to be called Larrikins Road as Larrikins isn't far from where we are
Margaret Riordan
Gail White I am glad to hear this, as the name Larrikins holds lots of family memories for me.
Reply1d
Margaret Riordan
Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed ideas and information to my thread. I am really looking forward to doing some great exploration around Kumara over summer.
Mahana Coulston
There were Payn and Lolar families living there still a few years back
Ann Nash
Looks like the Callaghans track that goes through to Goldsborough.
Margaret Riordan
Ann Nash It might look similar but I took these photos in behind the Londonderry Rock. My Uncle Jack took me there.
Ann Nash
Margaret Riordan yes I had a look at the other photo of all the tailings and didn't think I'd seen those on the track. We worked a claim near that flume pipe in the 1990s which had been previously worked by a Mr Manzoni and nearby was one worked by a Mr Honey.
https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/31710
Relating to the Payn, Scettrini and Lalor families who lived in the Kumara area.
WESTCOAST.RECOLLECT.CO.NZ
Relating to the Payn, Scettrini and Lalor families who lived in the Kumara area.
Relating to the Payn, Scettrini and Lalor families who lived in the Kumara area.
My husband grew up in kumara and said it’s in the right area..
Jo Wickett
Lloyd Murphy ? Can you help
Lloyd Murphy
Jo Wickett Gav would have a better idea than me, I played in there loads as a kid, I remember the army opening it up on exercise in the 80s and Mother Nature took her back. Not sure if it’s been reopened though - lots of mining between there and the school I think?
Margaret Riordan
Lloyd Murphy Thanks Lloyd. So it probably isn’t accessible, but this is the general area of Larrikins?
Lloyd Murphy
Margaret Riordan yes absolutely. My Dad was the foreman for Highways Construction when they build the Dillmans Hydroelectric Scheme ‘76 -‘78, the canal between Dillmanstown and Kumara stations is pretty much the Eastern border of that general area.
Margaret Riordan
Lloyd Murphy Thank you, I will be marking a map with all these details before I head down there.
Jo Wickett
You can get in to Londonderry rock easy enough
Catherine Cameron
It's certainly in the right area but I think the access to the actual Larrikins is pretty over grown now. It is a lovely area to explore though. Rosemarie Searle could you ask Gerard please?
Melissa Henriksen
Hi margaret. Frank payn was my great uncle. There's alot of information on the boards in kumara and "payn track" is now clearly marked thanks to joe payn on the opposite side of the road to the rock. Well worth the walk
Margaret Riordan
Melissa Henriksen We will be related Melissa:-) The Frank Payn who discovered gold was my great-grandfather, but he also had a son Frank Payn named after him, who remained a bachelor. My grandmother was Rose Payn, daughter of Frank Payn and Johanna Sce… See more
Melissa Henriksen
Margaret Riordan yes just realised you meant francis payn. He was my great grandfather also. My granddad was albert payn
Margaret Riordan
Melissa Henriksen So you would be one of the many Payn second cousins I am related to that I don't know!
Margaret Riordan
Melissa Henriksen I just messaged you a photo of My Great-UNcle Albert- from about 1992.
Bruce Baxter
Get yourself a copy of the book , New Zealand’s last gold rush , by William Heinz this will give you all the information you will need plus maps
Glenn Johnston
Yes, as others have said that is the right general area though I think the small settlement called Larrikins was further to the SSE. From memory one former Payn mining claim has a track to it it and is sign posted. That used to be the case anyway. That…
Margaret Riordan
Glenn Johnston Yes, I have walked the Payn Track, and I think that might be part of the reason for my uncertainty- I never realised they were two separate claim areas.
Geoffrey Bell
A great aunt of mine was born in Larrikins in 1891. Larrikins was over the back, Southeast, of Dillmanstown. You can see Larrikins Road on this map. It is long gone.
Steve Hutt
Geoffrey Bell Larrikins rd is still there and is now part of the cycle way as a shared rd.
Margaret Riordan
Steve Hutt Excellent. I am bringing my cycle down and hope to do some of this cycle way.
Jonathan Tough
I live on the old cottage site were j. Payne was born in 1930 on the old road east side of highway next to the hydro power water pipe my driveway has Paynes track that leads into kumara surrounded with old workings an tailings. J Payne lives in kumara in his 90s now
Margaret Riordan
Jonathan Tough I will be walking that track sometime between mid-Jan and mid-Feb, so I might notice your house.
Margaret Riordan
Yes, I have been on Payn’s Track a few years back. Joe Payn actually died earlier this year I think. There were several of the older Payn men all died in recent months.
Glenn Johnston
Margaret Riordan I've scanned this 1959 White's Aviation photo captioned by the late Bill Heinz and it shows the relativity of the former Larrikins settlement to other places. The Larrikin's gold strike was the south eastern portion of the Kumara Goldfield.
Glenn Johnston
Note that north is not at the top of this photo.
Barbara Scott
Glenn Johnston I see they marked the most important places - the site of the whiskey still
Margaret Riordan
Thank you Glenn Johnston that really shows how things fit together. The large white building just below the goldfield, nearly on the right hand side, I am guessing it might be the Catholic Church?
Bridget Collins
Margaret Riordan I zoomed in to find the church as our family home was across the road where my Grandmother grew up. Such great memories visiting my great Aunts and Uncle’s
Mary Moffitt
Glenn Johnston Thank you Glenn. This photo really helps me too. The first husband of my great grandmother, John Damico/Domico was a carpenter at Dillmsnstown. Probably also after the gold.
Margaret Riordan
Actually GLenn, you also gave me a map some time ago for finding where Big Dam was at Goldsborough, and the track there. My Scettrini family lived at Big Dam before moving to Kumara.
Glenn Johnston
Margaret Riordan I've done a lot of wandering over the years and have even climbed those four named mountains in the photo multiple times.
Jonathan Tough
Malcolm Broad
I new of Larrikin family in Rotomanu.
Bill Garth
Malcolm BroadLarkins. Farmers and owned a couple of good gallopers
Malcolm Broad
Bill Garth Jack Larkin owned the Jackson pub when I knew him.I married a Ryan.
Heath White
Our parents own larrikins
Jim Conaghan
I have always wanted to know more about Larrikins. My fathers birth certificate shows he was born at Larrikins in 1896,
Gail White
We live on Larrikins Road & Larrikins is at the top end from our place my partner knows where it is as has lived in Kumara all his life
Gail White
The Council asked us to recommend a name for our road & Adrian asked for it to be called Larrikins Road as Larrikins isn't far from where we are
Margaret Riordan
Gail White I am glad to hear this, as the name Larrikins holds lots of family memories for me.
Reply1d
Margaret Riordan
Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed ideas and information to my thread. I am really looking forward to doing some great exploration around Kumara over summer.
Mahana Coulston
There were Payn and Lolar families living there still a few years back
Ann Nash
Looks like the Callaghans track that goes through to Goldsborough.
Margaret Riordan
Ann Nash It might look similar but I took these photos in behind the Londonderry Rock. My Uncle Jack took me there.
Ann Nash
Margaret Riordan yes I had a look at the other photo of all the tailings and didn't think I'd seen those on the track. We worked a claim near that flume pipe in the 1990s which had been previously worked by a Mr Manzoni and nearby was one worked by a Mr Honey.
https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/31710
Relating to the Payn, Scettrini and Lalor families who lived in the Kumara area.
WESTCOAST.RECOLLECT.CO.NZ
Relating to the Payn, Scettrini and Lalor families who lived in the Kumara area.
Relating to the Payn, Scettrini and Lalor families who lived in the Kumara area.
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West Coast New Zealand History (13th Dec 2022). Relating to the Payn, Scettrini and Lalor families who lived in the Kumara area.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 2nd Apr 2026 18:53, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/31710