THE PROSPECTORS

IN NEW ZEALAND'S GOLD COUNTRY, IT'S A CASE OF 'SAME DIRT, DIFFERENT REWARD'

- LEON BUTLER

Christopher Reilly drags himself out into the brisk Kiwi morning,puts a pan of water on the fire and gets himself ready for the day. It’s1862 and he’s a little late to the Otago gold rush, but he sees what others don’t, and is confident he can get his share of the spoils. “Today’s the day!” he proclaims in a self-motivating yell. “Today’s the day all this bloody effort pays off.” The past few days of breaking trail into his newfound stashes in the Dunstan area have taken their toll, but Reilly wouldn’t have it any other way. His body hurts, but every time he strikes gold, that pain is washed away in the sluicing. There’s no better feeling than seeing results from a good day’s graft.

Reilly was a visionary, a creative who was both tough and practical. Through stubbornness and experience, he found gold in the dirt of central Otago at a time when the boom was thought to be over. He saw something different in Dunstan and kicked off an influx of others looking to get rich off the harsh terrain. He’s a prime example of what can happen when determination and imagination combine with human endeavour.

The Dunstan Trail was once an inhospitable and treacherous shortcut to the goldfields. People were met with treeless, brutal mountainsides and a scorching-hot climate, but undeterred, they forged on in search of Reilly’s riches.