Photo-Points

B 42 1316157 5018893
Looking south east over the wide section of the road reserve. It is proposed that this will be occupied by Process Plant Mine Infrastructure.

C 37 1316743 5018412
Looking SE. The hills beyond the roadway will vanish and be replaced by the CIT pit, extending 550m from here and around 200m deep.

E 26 1318133 5017782
Retaining wall on the alignment of Fools Gold Rd. This will be well inside the northern part of the Rise and Shine (RAS)pit.
The NW edge of the pit will be along the skyline.

F 24 1318535 5017659
Looking NW down the valley. The lower edge of the Elevated Landscape feature (ELF) will be on the right.
ELF is Santana’s euphemistic term for the overburden dug out of the pits to allow them to access the gold bearing rock.
The edge of the RAS pit which will be 800m wide is on the left edge of the photo. Process plant mine infrastructure will be in the valley bottom.

G 23 1318720 5017526
View to the NE.
The valley will be filled with ELF and also processing plant. The tracks on the far side of the valley have been built by Santana to access their test drilling sites. The proposed alternative to Thomsons Gorge Rd will run on or behind the skyline. The whole area marked below – covered by the pink line – will be filled by the lower end of the ELF.

H 21 1319180 5017081
The foreground in front of the prominent ridge will be filled by the ELF.

The valley beyond will contain the treated slurry, outlined in blue. The track to the left of centre can be seen on aerial photos and is shown as a short red line on the map.

I 18 1319196 5016754
Looking up the valley with the big kowhai in the right of the frame. Young kowhai can be seen to the left. Olearia oderata filling the foreground. This will all be buried in the ELF.

J 15 1319384 5016410

Looking NW down the valley. Most of this will be filled by ELF.

K 09 1319930 5016036
Looking to the NE,
with healthy Olearia bushes in the foreground. The Treated Slurry Field will fill the bottom of the valley on the far side of the ridge with the vehicle track. The right hand photo shows the TSF in blue and the upper end of the ELF in pink.
The latter is effectively the dam that holds the TSF in place.

L 06 1320066 5015309
Looking west down onto the area of the SRX and SRE activity. Thomsons Gorge Road and Battery Hill in the distance.

In this photo, yellow designates designates the SRX and SRE pits with the associated ELF in Pink.

M 01 1320787 50147900
Where Fools Gold Rd leaves Thomsons Gorge Road.

TSF in Blue and ELF in Pink.

N 50 1316828 5018109
The Western edge of the Come in Time pit. This will extend as far as the road in the distance

O 55 1317103 5017956
Looking NW from within the CIT pit which will extend 550m down the valley from here.

P 56 1317118 5017921
Taken from the southern edge of the CIT Pit looking up the valley into what will be the CIT elevated landscape feature extending 600m from here.

Q 60 1317520 5017384
Looking NW from the upper end of the CIT ELF which will fill this valley for around 600m down from here.

Q 61 1317526 5017364
From the same point as the previous photo, looking east into the Rise and Shine (RAS) pit. 800m to the other side from here, well beyond the horizon.

R 68/69 1317714 5017068
Descent to the cattle yards. All well within the RAS pit

R 68/69 1317714 5017068
And looking up to the NE from same position (69). This will be a big (800m x 1,000m) hole in the ground.

S 72 1317862 5016899
Looking NE from cattle-yards. This hill will be replaced by the RAS pit

T 74 1318950 5015964
On the NW edge of the SRX pit, which will extend up the valley 750m from here.

U 78 1319381 5015648
View into the SRX pit. The poplar tree, an obvious landmark in the valley is surrounded by the signs of previous gold mining activity.

V 80 1319377 5015560
Looking up the valley from the southeastern lip of the SRX pit. The SRX ELF will start 50m above here and go about 600m up the valley.

W 82 1319665 5015250
On the edge of the SRE pit, approximately 150m diameter.
(Photo Point L (see Fools Gold) was taken from the top of the bush covered hill to the right of centre.)

W 84 1319665 5015252
Taken from the same position, looking NW down the valley from within the SRX ELF which will extend 350m down from here, 200m behind the camera and 150m on each side of the road. Battery Hill in the background.

X 85a 1318696 5016635
Looking SE up Thomsons Gorge Rd. The two poplar trees (photo U) are with the SRX pit (large gold outline) and the SRX ELF (pink outline) will fill the valley for 800m above the trees.
The SRE pit is the smaller gold ring.
The whole of this valley is covered by a covenant to protect heritage and biodiversity; it also allows the right to roam.

Y 87b 1318597 5016766
North West from the top of Battery Hill, the large gold outline is the edge of the RAS pit, the smaller one in the distance, the CIT pit.

Z 93b 1318606 5016789
Looking East from the summit.
The blue line is the margin of the Treated Slurry Field.
The pink line is the upper edge of the ELF.
The short section of road in the centre of the TSF is clearly identifiable on aerial photos and is shown as a short red line on the map.

Fools Gold

Thomsons Gorge Road Photo Points

Battery Hill Photo points