1 active Westland Tai Poutini alert
- CautionActive landslide zones on Copland TrackDo not stop in either of Copland Track’s signposted active landslide zones; take extra care during and after heavy rain.Official details
Overview
About Gillespies Suction Dredge
Why stop
- Interpretation panels make the failed mining venture easy to picture.
Map
Where it is
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Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Westland Tai Poutini Tour Guide
Your drive to Gillespies Suction Dredge, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Westland Tai Poutini National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Westland Tai Poutini audio tourRecorded for this place
Gillespies Beach and the Failed Gold Dredge0:00 / 0:32
“Gillespies Beach is ahead, with dark sand, rounded pebbles and, when the clouds allow, the Southern Alps rising inland. Come for a shore walk and the old gold workings; strong surf makes it a poor choice for a swim.”
Plays as you drive up to Gillespies Suction Dredge in the Parkwolf Westland Tai Poutini Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Gillespies Beach Miners Cemetery
- The Lake That Powered the Dredge
- The Partnership in a Lichen
- Kahikatea and the Butter Box
- 49 audio storiesacross Westland Tai Poutini’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Kea, Blue Duck, Kererū, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 31 trails, 53 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
More about Gillespies Suction Dredge
A brief loop to an old machineGillespies Suction Dredge is the remains of a late-19th-century gold-mining machine on a 400 m…
Gillespies Suction Dredge is the remains of a late-19th-century gold-mining machine on a 400 m loop from the main Gillespies Beach car park. Allow about 15 minutes. Interpretation panels put the machinery in the context of a once-busy gold-mining settlement. It is a small stop with a clear story: an expensive attempt to work gold from the beach sands came to little.
A machine that could not handle the beachDesigned by Edward von Schmidt and put to work in 1891, the suction dredge struggled with…
Designed by Edward von Schmidt and put to work in 1891, the suction dredge struggled with stones and timber in the sand. Its mining company spent £5,000, recovered almost no gold, and collapsed in 1892. The rusted drum and scattered machinery make more sense once you know how much the venture cost and how quickly it failed.
What to look forThe surviving pieces include a large cylindrical drum with a perforated shell and exposed…
The surviving pieces include a large cylindrical drum with a perforated shell and exposed internal rods, plus long rusted machinery parts nearby. When the mountains are clear, frame the drum with the Southern Alps behind it; closer angles bring out the pitted metal and holes.
Getting to the startFrom Fox Glacier/Weheka, the drive to Gillespies Beach is about 21 km via Cook Flat Road and…
From Fox Glacier/Weheka, the drive to Gillespies Beach is about 21 km via Cook Flat Road and Gillespies Beach Road. Half the journey is narrow and unsealed; keep left, drive slowly, and do not tow. The loop starts at the main car park. Dogs are not allowed on these walks, and it is sensible to carry water for the outing.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Westland Tai Poutini
89 sightingsKeaMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
10 sightingsBlue DuckMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
80 sightingsKererūMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
38 sightingsTūīMost seen around 5 AMSighting map
10 sightingsNew Zealand FalconMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
28 sightingsYellow-crowned ParakeetMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Westland Tai Poutini. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
