Dredge working in Kaniere River below old bridge

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DescriptionDredge working in Kaniere River below old bridge

Anthea Rose:
From Max Dowell QSM collection. He remembers his Grandfather taking him down from Kokatahi to show him when the old bridge was washed out, but we would like to know what happened to this dredge (not the Kaniere dredge) - may have damaged in flood waters? Map^[1]ContributorAnthea RoseMax Dowell QSM

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Location (city or town)KaniereEventDredge working in Kaniere River below old bridge

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Category Taggoldmining

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Date Created21st January 2023CommentsAnthea Rose
From Max Dowell QSM collection. He remembers his Grandfather taking him down from Kokatahi to show him when the old bridge was washed out, but we would like to know what happened to this dredge (not the Kaniere dredge) - may have damaged in flood waters? any details of this dredge Laura??

Glenn Johnston
Working in the Hokitika River not Kaniere River? Near Kaniere township though.

Anthea Rose
Glenn Johnston It's a good location point but.... if we put Hokitika River below bridge they'd think they owned it.

Roi Gooch
Was it the one that sank out old Ch Ch Road?

Anthea Rose
Roi Gooch No not this one, the one from Stafford sunk up junction Awatuna Stafford road.

Robin Gibbens
What year was this , looks like a very well engineered dredge, very nicely finished of

Anthea Rose
Likely early 1930s?

Robin Gibbens
Anthea Rose thanks

John Nancekivell
Was a spoonbill fed dredge I read somewhere, the tailings heap was or is still there, and was protected archaeology

Geoffrey King
Poor old Max had a visitor whilst he was out and left an unsigned note. The note stated that there was more than one dredge and they worked right down to the port entrance. If this was the case there would be tailings and no pictures even back in the 1860's 70's 80's show tailings let a lone a dredge.. Some people,

Glenn Johnston
Yes there was dredging in places between the Kaniere bridge over the Hokitika River and the Hokitika River mouth. Looking in Papers Past would confirm this. There was also dredging done on Mahinapua Creek both to improve the navigable channel and adjacent the stream seeking gold. Lack of obvious tailings today is not proof there was no dredging because much of this would be smaller material including gravel and sand that was worked by small dredges that worked to quite shallow depths. The Hoki River successfully flushes smaller material in huge volumes. There are goldmining tailings near Kaniere township in the Hoki River but I don't think they are from dredging but from where alluvial claims dumped their waste rock via tramways on trestles. Photos still exist of at least two such operations with the tailings tramways crossing above the main street of Kaniere township heading to the river.

Anthea Rose
Glenn Johnston Hi Glenn thanks - Max says no evidence in Port records (which there is evidence of smaller sailing ships sailing up to Kaniere in Spring Tides). No records of of dredging below Kaniere but herewith is the mapping left at Max's door unsigned - which is interesting.
No photo description available.

Glenn Johnston
Interesting info dropped off at Max's. Papers Past confirms that the Hokitika River Gold dredge as shown on the anonymous map indeed existed. Note that it is shown as being below the Kaniere bridge. It was not the only dredge that worked the Hoki River below the Kaniere bridge.

Anthea Rose
Geoffrey King interesting history there by someone interested.

Glenn Johnston
I suggest that people wanting to know more about dredging on the Hokitika River have a look at Papers Past and reference the West Coast Times. Dredging of the Hokitika River bed and adjacent flats was more extensive than most people realise. Papers Past does record a "Harbor Board" dredge that worked at Port Hokitika back in the C19th. David Stapleton once told me that in port shipping operations were not fully recorded at Hokitika whereas ships arriving from or going to other ports were recorded.

Geoffrey King
Glenn Johnston And Max Dowell has a copy of those records now bound for safe keeping.

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Dredge working in Kaniere River below old bridge

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