Waiuta - through the eyes of a miner
The Maungatapu murders
The Burgess gang - Maungatapu murders
Richard Burgess: career criminal
The crimes - Maungatapu murders
A timeline of crime: May–June 1866
For a few short months the gang embarked upon a crime spree along the west coast of the South Island that would culminate in the murder of five men on the Maungatapu Track.
May:
Hokitika
Burgess stole two revolvers from the Hokitika police camp on 10 May. He staged a 'discovery' of these guns at a nearby beach in the presence of two witnesses, Sullivan and a man called Chamberlain. A search of his room located the stolen weapons but his witnesses helped him escape any charges. The Hokitika police supplied the local press with details of his Dunedin history and advised Burgess and Kelly to leave town.
The Blackwater mine
The town of Waiuta
From boom to bust - Waiuta
NZ’s heaviest ever gold nugget discovered
‘Messrs Scott and Sharpe’ found the heaviest gold nugget on record in New Zealand at Ross on the West Coast in 1909. Weighing in at a hefty 2.81 kg (99 ounces), the nugget was named the ‘Honourable Roddy’ after the Minister of Mines, Roderick McKenzie.
Australian gold rush migrants
Following the discovery of gold at Gabriels Gully in Otago (1861), thousands of miners left Australia’s main goldfields in Victoria to try their luck in the South Island. Further discoveries were made at Wakamarina in Marlborough (1864) and at Greenstone Creek on the West Coast (1864). Between 1861 and 1867 there were 50,000 new arrivals from Australia. Many left as the rush slowed but over 11,000 stayed. A number of these arrivals became prominent New Zealanders, including future premiers Julius Vogel and Richard Seddon.
The Maungatapu murders virtual comic
Virtual comic book telling the story of the Maungatapu murders committed by the Burgess gang in 1866. Click on image to open up the comic book.
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