packer named O’Brien, the gold being divided, the latter having 800 ounces. When half way he was suddenly surrounded by the robbers and pulled off his horse before he could attempt to draw his revolver. O’Brien, who was some yards ahead, galloped to the Twelve Mile and thus saved his 800 ounces. Reporting the matter to the Nelson Police stationed there, they set out after the robbers but failed to capture them. A few days afterwards four men were arrested, but nothing could be proved against them. This is the only case of robbery under arms which occurred on the West Coast goldfields, the result of which was that banks doing business at No Town decided to close their offices there and let the diggers bring their gold to Greymouth,” which was rapidly growing in importance and had now a newspaper, the Grey River Argus, which made its first appearance on November 17th, 1865. Towards the end of the year Okarito became the Mecca of the diggers of the West Coast and soon a terrific rush set in to what was known as the Five Mile Beach.
Larnach thus describes this episode: “Hundreds of diggers were taken from Hokitika by the steamer Bruce, which did the journey in twelve hours, and was generally crowded with excited passengers, who willingly paid £5 for that short distance. R. C. Reid, who went to the field as a gold buyer for the
