Chook's Tracks
St. Hippo Mine Golden Cross Summit to Maratoto Valley
"NEAR VERTICAL REEF"
Worked by the Waitekauri Extended Gold Mining Co. of London,1895 to 1901.
A number of surface adits revealed reefs on the claim.
A crosscut adit known as the blow hole tunnel was put in about 160 ft below the top of the range to 400 ft and is said to have cut ten different reefs. The last one looked the best and was driven on for 250 ft. This reef was cut every 50 ft, proving the reef to be on average 35 ft wide.
A second adit was driven 55 ft below No.1 drive to 500 ft and proved that the reef kept it's width.
A third adit was driven about 200 ft below No.2 for 1120 ft before cutting the reef, which was driven on for 451 ft North and 580 ft South. The width being found to vary between 16 ft and 30 ft.
Prior to the low level drive reaching the lode, a forty stamp battery was built on the Maratoto Stream which later became the property of the Ohinemuri Gold and Silver Mining Co. Ltd.
The battery started crushing in 1898, the ore being sent by ropeway to the mill. By 1901, 6,017 tons of ore had been crushed, yielding 6,040 ounces bullion, valued at £6,147.
The Company ran out of funds in 1901 and a reconstruction took place. The new Waitekauri Extended Mines Ltd. was formed to provide more capital.
The Company then sank a shaft for 76 ft off the low level adit but stopped work pending amalgamation with the Waitekauri Gold Mining Co. The proposal being to test the reef from the Golden Cross Shaft, but no deep level work was done and the mine closed in 1904.