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Story: Mining and underground resources

Macraes Gold Mine

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Macraes Gold Mine

This is an aerial view of Macraes Gold Mine, east Otago. Although the original gold workings at Macraes were underground, all recent mining has been opencast. The gold originates in a gently sloping mineralised zone, about 150 metres thick. The ore is dug out of the opencast pits, crushed and treated to remove the impurities and concentrate the gold. A total of 5.7 tonnes of gold were produced in 2004.

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How to cite this page

Simon Nathan, Mining and underground resources – History of mining, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/9237/macraes-gold-mine (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Simon Nathan, published 2 March 2009.