Greys Dam (Otago) Traditional Cache
drawp: Unfortunately site seems to prone to muggles who collect containers
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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The gold lay 1.5 metres down on a pan of blue slate rock The only equipment needed was a pick and a shovel, and a gold pan or cradle with a plentiful supply of water to separate the gold from the wash dirt. It wasn't long before the surface diggings were worked out and by 1863 more sophisticated methods were employed to extract the gold from greater depths from the hills. Other methods required vast amounts of water, so with only picks and shovels, water races were constructed to carry water from the head-waters of the Beaumont and Waipori Rivers and later Reedy Creek. Water was brought from the Tokomairiro head-waters to the Waitahuna goldfields. In total there were 376 kilometres of water races constructed to Gabriels Gulp. The water races were gravity fed and to provide a continuous flow of water over these distances, demanded skill and precision in their construction. The races fed overnight into a series of holding dams dotted around the area, from where the water was drawn off throughout the day for high pressure sluicing and excavating operations. Pollards Pond on the Goldfields loop track and Cornishman's Dam on the Munroe's Gully track are two examples. Many of these dams, which still hold water today, are good local fishing spots and the water supply in Lawrence is fed by some of those original races. The water races had to be constantly checked and kept free of any debris. This was the job of the 'raceman'. The raceman usually lived an isolated life, far up in the hills.
Greys Dam is a relic from these early gold mining days of Gabriel's gully. It is now a great picnic spot or for those with self contained motorhomes an ideal camping location.
The cache is a 200ml sistema with logbook only. Bring your own pen.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Orgjrra
Treasures
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