THE GOLD DISCOVERY AT KERERU.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 14, Issue 745, 20 December 1869, Page 2

THE GOLD DISCOVERY AT KERERU.

Mr Koch lias kindly favored us with the following interesting notes of his late expedition, in company with Mv Tit Fen, to the Kereru District:— We left Napier at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, the 14th December, and after travelling about 45 miles, (the last 20 miles through heavy rain) reached Mr J, N. Williams' house, Tapuharuru Plains. The formation of this plain, which forms part of Messrs Williams' and Lyon's runs, appears to me to be a great valley which has been gradually tilled up with shingle and debris propelled by water at a great force, passing towards the northward. The beds of the principal rivers, the Poporangi and Whanaukino, were running through the plains from the gorges in the same direction, between terraces whose height varies from 30 inches to 300 feet, exposing a substraum of tenacious compact clay of a slaty color, with a bed of water-laid gravel, consolidated into a conglomerate from 6 to 15 feet in thickness, with an arable soil of several feet on the top.

It was on the sideling descent of th e Whanuakino, at the back of Colonel Herrick'a house, that the specimen sent to Napier was found by Jft. Lyon, but on careful examination of the same spot we could only find a few small pebbles of the sanie quartz, without any visible aurifev. ous indication. Being perfectly satisfied that the specimen was drift quartz, our next question v\as, how it came in the gravel bed in this locality; and we decided, if possible, to trace its original locality next day. Wednesday morning was calm and oppressive ; thunderstorm at 11 a.m-, followed by heavy rain for several hours; the rest of the day showery. We examined the banks and river bads, accompanied by Col. Herrick land Mr Williams.

On Thursday the 16th we started early and followed up the Whanaukino to a deep ravine which divides Mr Lyon's and Mr Duff's runs* We descended into ib about kalf-a-mile from the homestead of the latter gentleman, and found, through the continued rain, more water than we anticipated. The ravine is formed by nearly perpendicular walls of more than 300 feet in height, overgrown with the wild and luxuriant vegetation of the New Zealand bush. The bottom is composed of great clay slate boulders, which cause a succession of most romantic waterfalls. We found several large pieces of lignite, but no quartz of any kind was visible. After following np this ravine for about three miles we ascended the upper terrace, not without great difficulty. Our next trip was in the afternoon, to direct our search up a.similar ravine to the head of the Poporaugi. This ravine is of considerable width at the bottom, and is known as the Devil's Gully. Finding no quartz to the southward of the place where the original specimen was found, we came to the conclusion that it must have come from the eastern slope of the Ruahine range, down the Ohara stream, as this stream is supplied by numerous small ravines leading from the flange. Owing to the late rains the Ohara is now too deep for exploration ; but there is little doubt that the piece of quartz was brought down b. its waters from that direction, and deposited in the drift on the Tapukarui'ii flat

I would recommend a party to be sent up to divide into two or three branches, and as soon as the stream is lower to carefully examine every gorge which teeds the Ohara. They should not be satisfied with merely examining the bottom of the creek, but should clear away the luxuriant undergrowth and scrub from the walls, and carefully examine them for reefs or lodes cropping through. I further think it advisable to give a trial to portions of the Tapuharuru plain, washing the fine stuff at the bottom of the shingle and debris bed previously mentioned. If our journey has had no direct visible advantage, we may claim the small credit that henceforth every settler in the province, and in the Kereru district in particular, will pay every attention to anything pertaining to the discovery of gold — especially as the province has now the opportunity to avail itself of the valuable opinion and advice of Br Hector, the distinguished Government geologist.