dreaming at that period of the vast quantity of gold which was afterwards to be found at the Buller and on the West Coast generally. Mackay, seeing the plight these miners were in, offered to pilot them to Nelson, and took them overland from the mouth of the Heaphy, crossing the saddle between that river and the Aorere, and so to their destination.
Mackay’s last exploring expedition to the Coast was in 1862 in company with Messrs. John and Arthur Knyvett, when they blazed a saddle line from the Upper Aorere, Collingwood, to the mouth of the Heaphy River. On this occasion Mackay left his companions at the River Karamea and travelled on foot, from there to Westport in one day.
James Mackay paid some visits to Westport at a later date as Magistrate and Warden, but finally left the West Coast in July, 1863, on the outbreak of war in the Waikato. His services there were principally confined to persuading rebels to surrender and taking possession of their arms and ammunition. In May, 1864, he was appointed Civil Commissioner for the Hauraki District, where he remained until 1867, when after protracted negotiations with the natives he opened the Thames goldfields to the general public. In 1880 he returned to Westland where he held the office of Resident Magistrate and Warden at Greymouth until 1881.
