Gold Miners . . . . .

. . . . . in the Shotover River, Skippers Canyon, Central Otago.


Skippers Canyon is a historic and scenic gorge, some 22 kilometres in length, that is located several kilometres north of  Queenstown, that leads to Coronet Peak skifield, Skippers Canyon houses the  Shotover River,  one of New Zealand's richest gold-bearing rivers  Once a busy goldmining area, Skippers Canyon was accessed by Skippers Road, which is today one of New Zealand's better known scenic roads. The main New Zealand road where rental car insurance is not honoured if driven on, Skippers Road is mostly one-way with the very occasional place to squeeze past another vehicle, narrow and steep with sheer drops of several hundred metres. It's not a road for the faint-hearted. 

I used to travel the road into Skippers quite frequently, when I helped with outdoor education at The Branches Station, on beyond Skippers itself. The area is quite unique in New Zealand, with dramatic scenery, wild rivers, steep cliffs and in autumn, golden trees. 

In this image, some modern-day miners are trying their luck at finding some 'colour' (gold) in the Shotover River. The rock in the foreground has been worn away by the constant flow of the river. 
I've put an image of the canyon into Extras, together with an image of some people rafting the Shotover, on a commercial trip.