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Story: Oil and gas

Types of oils

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Types of oils

These jars, held at the Crown Minerals office in Wellington, hold a variety of oil types collected from wells and natural seeps. Their drill holes, field names or natural seep locations are as follows (all are in Taranaki unless indicated otherwise):

Top from left: Niagara-1 (West Coast), Stratford-1, Kāpuni field, Blackwater-1(West Coast), Pukemai-2

Middle from left: Tāriki-1, Ngaere-1, Waitangi seep (Gisborne), Galleon-1 (offshore Canterbury), Tariki-1A

Bottom from left: Toka-1, McKee field, Kōtuku seep (West Coast), Māui field, Māui-3

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How to cite this page

Roger Gregg and Carl Walrond, Oil and gas – The need for oil and gas, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/8903/types-of-oils (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Roger Gregg and Carl Walrond, published 2 March 2009.