associated infrastructure as follows:

A concrete weir has been constructed in the bed of the Parapara River, just at the upper end of the first gorge…The weir is constructed, approximately, about 25ft. in height above the bed of the gorge of the river, and is about a chain in length across the top. This weir delivers the water into an open cutting about 4 chains in length, at the end of which there is a tunnel leading through the range to the head of Appo’s Gully.
This tunnel is about 24 chains in length, and constructed about 4ft. wide and 5ft. in height, close-timbered throughout…At the end of the tunnel there is about 20 chains of boxing laid on the ground; thence the water falls into a concrete penstock of from 6ft. to 8ft. in depth, having a division in the centre which forms two chambers. In the second chamber is an outlet-pipe set in the concrete wall, and any gravel or sediment…falls into the first division, and can by this arrangement be cleaned out without allowing it to pass through the pipes.
The water is conveyed from this penstock to the claim, a distance of about 2 miles, in wrought-steel riveted pipes, which are about 30in. in diameter at the penstock, and gradually narrow down to 24in., having branches of 14in. diameter at the claim. These pipes are laid along the sideling at Appo’s Gully, and cross the saddle between Appo’s and Glengyle Gully, following down the side of the latter, and crossing the Parapara on a suspension-bridge erected at a considerable angle to the stream.

This report does not mention a number of details with regard to the dam and tunnel. Firstly, there were diversion pipes at the base of the dam on the true left of the river. These were connected to three upright steel pipes that held the lifting gear used to open these pipes (Mouat n.d.a). Newport (1971:137-138) supplies further information, including that 80 tons of cement were used in the construction of the dam, the timbers for the tunnel were from Takaka and the West Coast and were 9 inches by 6 inches, and 300 tons of pipes from Mr Sparrow, Dunedin (AJHR 1894 C3:92) were used. This material was brought in on a track that ran from near the Devil’s Boots (near Rockville).

The Parapara Hydraulic-sluicing Company mined until circa 1917 with varying degrees of success, their operations being hindered by a lack of water (particularly in the summer months) and by the collapse of sluice faces. Their efforts were focused on the Glen Gyle Creek, the Hit-or-Miss saddle, Glenmutchkin and Appo’s Flat. The last mention of the company by name in the AJHR is in 1918 (1918 C2:35). This brief report notes that four men were employed and just over 13 ounces of gold had been won in the previous year. It seems that intensive mining of the Richmond Flat ceased at this time, although mining continued in other areas around Collingwood and some evidence suggests that the Glen Gyle Creek was mined until the 1930s (D. Gilooly, pers. comm.).

Plate 1: View of the Parapara Dam from downstream showing upright pipe and breach in dam crest. Diversion pipes at lower left.

THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE The Richmond Flat area and the Parapara River were visited with Richard Lamb on 16 and 17 July 2003. During the course of these visits, the areas specifically affected by the hydroelectricity proposal were investigated, as were some of the surrounding areas, in order to gain contextual information. A hand-held global positioning system (Garmin 12XL) was used to

Katharine Watson Archaeology July 2003     Page 4