Important – we will be looking to change our constitution, clause 24, that stipulates we must hold the AGM within 3 months of the end of the financial year. The amended clause will stipulate we have 6 Months from the end of April to hold our AGM’s so that we might move them to September and not have to meet in the dead of winter! (After the end of our financial year we still need to wait for the books to be audited before we can meet – hence meetings are currently held near the end of June –mid July.)

The OGHT is always looking for keen members to join our committee. If you think you would be interested in contributing to the ongoing success of the Trust please do consider putting your name forward. If you would like to talk this over then don’t hesitate to contact any member of the current committee or contact the President, Martin Anderson on 03 445 0611, or email sueandmartin@actrix.co.nz. Feel free to bring non-member friends along to the field weekend associated with the AGM – details below.

AGM and field weekend in Arrowtown itinerary:

Saturday 22nd June 2013
- 10am meet at Arrowtown Volunteer Fire Brigade rooms 2 Hertford Street for morning tea
- 10.30am Annual General Meeting
- 12pm Lunch ($15)
- 12.40pm A brief presentation from honorary life member Dr John Hall-Jones about his recent travels up the Nile.
- 1pm Walk around Arrowtown hosted by the Queenstown Historical Society
- 3pm afternoon tea ($5) and Presentation by Queenstown Historical Society ‘People From Our Past’ cemetery talks (with slideshow)
- 6pm Dinner at Jonesys Cafe and Restaurant. 2 course buffet. ($30)
- 7.30pm Guest Speaker Greg Lind from the Wakatipu head office of the Department of Conservation and the newly formed Wakatipu Heritage Trust.

Sunday 23rd June 2013
- 9am Tour of the Lakes District Museum by curator
- 10.15am 4WD tour to ‘Sculls Tunnel’ with Nomad Safaris includes morning tea, fully guided tour. ($75)

Total cost including admin fee, Sat morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, Dinner, Sundays 4WD tour and morning tea = $135

Arrowtown Born of Gold Holiday Park seems the obvious accommodation choice. They have studio units for $120 or Bunk rooms from $25-$30 (bring your own sleeping bag)… all nice and modern (warm!). Ph 03 442 1876 www.arrowtownholidaypark.co.nz/accommodation.html

For other accommodation options in Arrowtown see www.arrowtown.com/accommodation/
Click the links below for official documents:

Click here to register for the AGM and Field Weekend online. Or click here to download a registration form.

2013 AGM Agenda

2012 AGM minutes

Notice of change of clause 24

Nomination form

Membership form (This can also be done online with your first instalment of your Cavalcade fee see here. Or just online membership click here.

Then it was out for a walk in the BEAUTIFUL sunshine (earlier reports were for steady rain so the good weather was a well received bonus) along the picturesque banks of the Tuapeka River to have a look at the ‘James Liffel horizontal turbine’ - 200 hp made in the USA about 1906 lifted water from the Tuapeka up to the mining area around where the township is. Thanks very much to Geoff Thompson, the local land owner, who not only had to clear away some rather large willow branches that came down the day before but also cut a hole in his deer fence to allow us access!

 There was also a fine horizontal  mine – come sludge tunnel to inspect and as an added bonus they had arranged a miner showing us the old and the new ways of prospecting!

Twas such a lovely day we wandered on down to the confluence of the Tuapeka and the Clutha the site of the wharf where the old paddle steamers used to come up the Clutha to. Also the area of a significant timber mill in those early days.

After a picnic lunch in the Hall, further reading of the local histories and a visit to the old School building (with many old photos and displays) it was off up the road to the cemetery where we were met by octogenarian Chris Skinner to tell us a few stories.

The weather was holding fine so we carried on up to an old dam – a ‘good, honest’ hill climb was involved but well worth the effort.

The Tuapeka Mouth part of the day finished with a punt ride over the Clutha then a drive down to Balclutha for dinner at the Rose Bank Lodge and a wonderful presentation by Gary Ross (from the South Otago Museum) all about Port Molyneux – setting us up for the next day.

Sunday dawned bright and clear once again for a 9am start at the South Otago Museum to see some relics from ships wrecked around the Molyneux Bay area.  Then it was a drive out to Port Molyneux itself and some wonderful Devonshire Tea thanks very much to Katy Button (local land owner) before heading down to the site of the original port now in the middle of grazing and wetland countryside. A bit of trudging arround amongst the willows did indeed present us with some posts still with bolts attached that are the pillars of the old wharf!

The Port Molyneux cemetery was next on the list then into Kaka point to see the original Port Molyneux Church which had been relocated to Kaka Point but is on its way back to its original location! A casual lunch at ‘The Point Cafe’ rounded the weekend off nicely. Thanks very much to all those who came along and to all those who help make it such a fun and interesting weekend!

The last parts of the old Chatto Creek Dredge were ‘delivered’ to the Chatto Creek Hotel thanks to the great efforts of Central Excavation and Johnny Simonds along with his sons and members of the Otago Goldfields Heritage Trust.

See here for the full ODT story’s.

Thanks very much to Rex Johnson for the image above  and complete video of ‘the moving’ to come.

10 – 11 a.m.: Arrival and registration at Tuapeka Mouth School; welcome

Morning tea supplied by local group

Display of gold-mining and local history at School

and Hall; toilet facilities available at Hall

11 – 1 p.m.    Walk to the Claim area, inspect tunnel, turbine and dredged area

Visit the old hotel, wharf and sawmill sites

1 – 2.30 p.m. Lunch in and around School

Visit displays

Stroll around township

2.30 – 4 p.m. Travel by vehicle to the cemetery, visit the cemetery

Walk up stream to the concrete dam and return

4 – 6 p.m.       Punt operating

That night we will have a group dinner in Balclutha and then on the Sunday Gary Ross from the South Otago Museum will lead us on a very interesting tour and stories around the original ‘Port Molyneux’ … more details to come.

The Fiordland Moose Written aboard The Milford Wanderer on August 2nd 2012

“Hullo, my name is Minnie
A Fiordland Moose am I
I can see that you are startled
By the strange look in your eye

When long ago my ancestors
Were taken for a ride.
Transported to these southern shores,
All we could do was hide

From gentlemen with noisy guns
Who had us in their sights.
While booming gunshots filled the day
Booming kakapos filled the nights.

A wise old moose observing
The diminishing of our herd
Said “We  need some counter measures,
Though they may seem quite absurd.

Instead of holding heads up high,
We should be thinking low.
Hopefully we’ll be overlooked
And thus our family grow.

If Stunted Jim begets some kids
Off little Runty Prue

A lowering of moose height
Must surely then ensue.

If Pygmy Jack climbs Maureen’
s back And then begets some more,
We moose will get much shorter
Closer to the forest floor!

So all those men with noisy guns
Their targets will not see
And all our bloody antlers
Will not tangle in a tree!”

Up and spoke a bull named Fred
A fine tall moose was he
“Are you saying Stunted Jim
Should have more kids than me?”

He swung his mighty shoulders
And loped off behind a stump
The last his kinsfolk heard of him
Was gunfire, and a thump.

The herd looked at the wise old moose
And nodded affirmation
“Our one chance of survival
Is restricted fornication!

To throw the hunters off the scent
And Mr Tustin too,

We’ll keep them thinking bigger
And consolidate our poo.

We’ll use one of the late Fred’s hoofs
To keep the myth alive
By stamping hoofprints in the mud.
The legend will survive”.

I am very glad to meet you
On your Milford Wanderer Cruise.
I only stand at knee height
And my name is Minnie Moose”

Friday the 13th July 2012, unlucky for some perhaps but a wonderful day for Otago Goldfields Heritage as an old relic gets new prominence.

Initiated originally by Lloyd Carpenter and after some great team work between the Central Lakes Trust, Fulton Hogan, the Department of Conservation and ourselves, the ‘Gold Light’ Dredge bucket ladder was successfully relocated from its position at Lion Island picnic area on the banks of Lake Dunstan to the original site at Bendigo.

The Gold Light project was the original collaboration between Fulton and Hogan who won the contract to dig the dredge pond.

Information panels are being printed and soon to be erected alongside the structure. I will up-load the PDF’s of these once they become available.

Thanks very much to Rex Johnson for the wonderful video!

The OGHT had its AGM in their Cromwell office (the historic old Methodist Church) on Saturday the 23^rd with 40 members in attendance. The meeting proceeded in orderly fashion with an overwhelmingly positive ‘vibe’ from the attendee’s. We have been busy in the last 12 months (see presidents report attached).

Morning tea and lunch was provided by the Cromwell Girl Guides club to much positive affirmations and then the group proceeded on their afternoon tour of some of the older buildings in the ‘older part of town’. 4 historic churches in one block, 2 old cottages in various states of repair and the original court house were all visited each with their own unique speaker.

The group then headed down to Old Cromwell Town Precinct for the planting of a commemorative tree. A Golden Totara was very kindly donated by Cromwell Garden Land and all were in agreement that the ‘Podocarpus Totara `Aurea` was an appropriate tree considering the Totara was the dominant tree of this area (up until about 400 years ago) and having a ‘golden’ tinge for the Gold150 celebratory year. Visible in the attached photo are from left to right:

A quick jaunt was then taken out near to the Kawarau Mining Centre where a new section of walking track has been completed beside the river and impressive herringbone tailings can been seen. Unfortunately heavy rain meant this side trip had to be cut short.

Dinner that night was at the Victoria Hotel (Old Cromwell Town again) with guest speaker Fraser Jonker the new CEO of Pioneer Generation. Tis an interesting relationship between Pioneer and the Goldfields Trust – some of the Pioneer assets are rooted back to gold mining infrastructure. The power generator is 100% owned by the Central Lakes Trust who are funding nearly all the ‘Gold150’ celebrations this year around our area as well as most of the other subsequent OGHT projects. Yet we (the OGHT) has still submitted against Pioneer in some of their plans… the Nevis for example. Anyway Fraser gave a great talk and was well received by the dinner goers. Dinner was very good also. Big thanks to the crew at the Vic for a wonderful evening.

Sunday morning’s tour ‘A new look at Old Bannockburn’ lead by local Gordon Stewart was a highlight for many. After parking by the Bannockburn Bridge and scrambling around the lake side the group were treated to Oatcakes and Whiskey served by a kilt wearing Stewart who not only regaled about his families links to the hotel ruins about their feet but also the history of the Battle of Bannockburn and even further into the geology of the near surrounds. After a walk around the inlet and up the track, over the knob and back to the cars it was into the Bannockburn pub for an absolutely scrumptious spread of soup and savouries followed by coffee and cake. Thanks very much to Tim, Bronwyn and the team at the ‘Bannie’.

Itinerary below.  Agenda click here.   Registration form Click here.   Presidents report click here.   Accounts click here.   Minutes from 2011 AGM.   Nomination forms.

10am Morning Tea at The Old Church – Tea, coffee and scones

10.30am AGM Start

12pm Lunch (Soup and savouries thanks to the Cromwell Girl Guides)

1pm Guided walk around the block and into Old Cromwell Town visiting historic buildings and hearing some of their stories… guest speakers at each of 8 special old buildings all within a block of our officies… commemorative ‘Golden Totara’ tree planting in Old Cromwell Town…

3pm Option to visit the recently finished walking track along the Kawarau river  (Cromwell side of the Mining Centre) re-discover some long-since hidden/over grown tailings and mining heritage. (This track is new since the Cavalcade for those of you who walked into Cromwell Racecourse.)

6.30pm Dinner at the Victoria Arms Hotel

7.20pm Guest speaker- Fraser Jonker. Pioneer CEO since 2010. Pioneer Generation Ltd have numerous links with the OGHT, from some of their original infrastructure dating back to work undertaken in search of gold, to the fact that they are 100% owned by the Central Lakes Trust who provide substantial funding for our projects and host towns of the Cavalcade. And the more astute among you may have read reports in the media about our shared interest in the Nevis valley. Fraser originates from a diamond mining area of South Africa. Fraser is an accomplished speaker and we feel very fortunate to have secured him.

Sunday 24^th June

10am meet at Bannockburn Bridge for a new look at Old Bannockburn lead by local man Gordon Stewart.

12pm Lunch at the Bannockburn Pub including a talk about its history.

Bring a warm coat and comfortable shoes for the guided walks. Tramping boots and walking sticks (if you have them) would be a good idea for Sundays walk at Bannockburn. Chuck a hat and pair of gloves in the car too – every chance the temperature will be ‘bracing’!

Best budget accommodation in Cromwell is at ‘The Chalets’ – under new management, twin room shared facilities $28 or self contained units for $80. Ph 4451260  www.thechaletscromwell.co.nz (they have campervan parks too).

Or for more options call the Cromwell i-SITE (03) 445 0212 http://www.cromwell.org.nz/accommodation/cromwell-motels.aspx