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was found, by officers engaged with him on the geological survey of the district, near the head of a small right-hand branch of the Anatori River, about a quarter of a mile below the junction of the latter with Independent Creek. Here a reef 4 ft. 6 in. was located, but samples taken from it gave only very low results. The geologist mentioned states that outcrops of quartz also occur in the low-lying country south-west of the Golden Ridge and falling within the Paturau and Wakamarama Survey Districts, the truncated edges of the strata on the more flat-lying portion of the syncline being exposed in the stream-valleys, and the reef-system is distinctly traceable, following the contour of the country in a southerly direction, for miles. Below these outcrops the stream-gravels have frequently been found to be highly auriferous, thus apparently showing the continued gold-bearing nature of the reef-system in this direction. In places the vein material itself, occasionally carrying good values, has been found, but has not been continuous for any great distance. Within the area under consideration some good alluvial gold has been found near the head of Malone Creek, just below the stratum of quartzitic greywacke which overlies the reef-system. Careful search along the base of this stratum may therefore reveal the presence of auriferous quartz. In Dr. Bell’s opinion it would seem that the area within which further prospecting may be warranted is bounded to the eastward by a line running a little east of south from the Golden Blocks Mine; and he points out that the flexures of the strata enclosing the vein formation and the rough topography of portions of the area may afford outcrops in the more densely wooded and consequently little explored country lying westward from the main-lode line.
REEFS OF THE QUARTZ RANGES.
Throughout Collingwood County many other outcrops of quartz veins were located, especially in Aorere Survey District. To give particulars of all these here would serve no useful purpose, for in but few cases were they found to have any gold content, and even in these the values were extremely low. Any reader desirous of learning more regarding their location is referred to Dr. J. M. Bell’s Geological Bulletin of the Parapara Subdivision (No. 3, New Series). Mention may be made, however, of the fact that about 1881 or 1882 a Collingwood company spent a good deal of money in prospecting some small veins at the Quartz Ranges at a low saddle at the head of Finnie’s Creek. The country consisted of banded grey and black slates and grey sandstones, striking east and west, and dipping north at an angle of 45°. Several veins of hard blue-coloured quartz occurred, the outcrops of which sometimes showed gold. Apart from the gold-bearing veins there were also several other larger veins crossing the line of the others, but these were barren. On one of the gold-bearing veins an inclined shaft, known as Smith’s shaft, was sunk to a depth of 20 ft., following the underlie of the vein, and at a vertical depth of 90 ft. below the outcrop an adit was driven for a length of between 300 ft. and 400 ft. In this adit the veins were not intersected, and the company suspended operations.
In 1888 another company, undeterred by the failure of its predecessor, made an attempt to develop the veins. A lot of surface trenching was done, and Smith’s shaft was cleaned out and sunk to 56 ft. A small vein lived down to the bottom, but it was never more than a few inches in width, and was evidently of low value in gold. The slates in the shaft were said, however, to contain quantities of pyrite and mispickel, both of which
