Gold nugget

New Zealand has been a significant source of gold since the 1860s, when many miners flocked to the newly discovered goldfields of Otago and Westland in the South Island. Later, mining activity was focused on the rich gold-bearing rocks of the Coromandel (North Island) and Reefton (inland West Coast of the South Island) areas, where large-scale mining continues today.

A shining example
This large gold nugget was found on the Otago goldfields, probably about 1870. It is part of a collection of samples of New Zealand gold that was shown at the United States Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876 to demonstrate the richness of New Zealand's gold resources. After the Exhibition closed, the samples were given to the Colonial Museum.

A characteristic find
The exact location of the nugget's discovery is unknown, but the notes in the Centennial Exhibition Catalogue state that 'large sized nuggets' were 'characteristic' of the 'Arrowtown, Macetown and Cardrona districts'.

Alluvial gold
Gold nuggets are formed by the action of water eroding gold from deposits in rock over many thousands of years. Alluvial gold (gold found in riverbeds) occurs in a wide range of shapes and sizes, from fine dust to flakes and nuggets, some of which can be quite large. The largest nugget ever found in New Zealand weighed 2806.65 grams (99 ounces). It was found in Westland in 1909.