Access

If coming from Dillmanstown,the carpark is signposted on the left, 1.5 km from Goldsborough camping area and 11 km from SH 73.

Or if coming from Stafford, 6.3 km from SH6 on the Stafford Loop Road.

Track

Enter through the tunnel opposite the parking area into a world of terraces, tailings and mining detritus. There is a section of impressive trackwork using the tailings boulders, some of which are slippery.

Exit through another tunnel and follow the road 100 m back to the carpark.

European History

Unsurprisingly, with a name like Goldsborough, it was gold which first attracted settlement. First claims were pegged in 1864, the coast’s second goldfield. By October 1866 over 7000 people had arrived in town, so the town had to be built. Butchers, bakers, hotels, stores for mining provision and much more sprang up almost overnight. This was the Wild West New Zealand style. Same alcohol fuelled fights, swearing and generally antisocial behaviour from unmarried men with their sights on quick riches.

Over 200 horses were employed to pack provisions from Hokitika along the rough and muddy bush tracks. Travel was a nightmare, with swollen rivers, muddy tracks and dense forest to slash.

Over the years returns were insufficient and many left. The town gentrified, and those who stayed made a small but reasonable living off the gold. The last residents only left in the 1950s.