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Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 296, 11 July 1929, Page 8

Two ex-miners of Thames who have had some experience in the earthquake district are very sanguine that as the result of the disturbance in the strata by the ’quake good gold will be found, and have expressed their intention of setting out as soon as possible on a prospecting trip in the region of the Matakitaki Valley. As the greater portion of the valley is held under a dredging license it will be interesting to learn what their experiences will be, but it is their intention to work back into the hill country in the hope of discovering the reef. It is a well-proved fact that there is gold in the Matakitaki Valley since it is possible to get colours in any stream in the district, but so far no one has yet come across the “ mother-lode,” although in 1922 an old fossicker arrived in Murchison with some extraordinary rich samples which, he declared,‘he had obtained from an outcrop. However he caught a bad cold and unfortunately took an overdose of spirits to cure it and spent the night in the open in bitter winter weather He never recovered from the bout of pneumonia that followed and his secret died with him.