discovery of the Greenstone Diggings, also made by the Maoris in 1864.
“From the present site of Westport, diggers penetrated in various directions, and as early as 1862 payable gold was discovered at Lyell by Maoris. Waite’s store at Westport appears to have been the chief source of supplies for those venturesome and forgotten pioneers, but owing to the discovery of gold in Otago, attention was diverted from the West Coast until January, 1862, when the steamer Tasmanian Maid (Captain Whitwell) came to the Buller from Dunedin with a great number of diggers on board.”
Reverting from this second interlude, it is necessary to observe that after Mackay’s departure the Canterbury Provincial Government proceeded but slowly with the exploration of Westland, and the year 1861 was uneventful. In view of what transpired in 1862, however, it is necessary to outline briefly the reasons which forced the Provincial Government into offering a reward of £1,000 for the discovery of a payable goldfield.
To do so adequately let it first be noted that the discovery of gold by Hargreaves in New South Wales in 1851 gave a great impetus to the quest for the metal royal, which extended not only to other parts of Australia but also to this Dominion, prospectors crossing the Tasman and trying their luck in many parts.
