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Golden Point Battery reserve
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Wonderfully preserved stamper battery and the only authentic working example in Otago – it will leave you in awe of the determination of early miners. A tunnel and shaft dug into the hillside exposes Otago Schist.
Hundreds of stamper batteries like this once pounded gold out of the rock at goldmines across New Zealand but have long since fallen silent and vanished into history. Callery's Battery is the only complete stamper battery in New Zealand to survive on site in working order.
Built in 1902 to serve the Golden Point gold mine, the five-stamper plant was in commercial operation until the 1950s and still runs today. The battery is protected in the Golden Point Historic Reserve, which keeps important remnants of Otago's gold mining history. See the contrast between historical and present day gold mining with the presence of a large modern gold mine sitting just over the hill.
Read more about the Golden Point Battery Reserve and access here
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Please be aware the following hazards include: old mining area (hidden shafts), uneven surface, changing water level at creek, and narrow access road. Wider hazards associated with active mining including: heaving machinery / truck use of roads, blasting.
Latitude: -45:21:06.455
Longitude: 170:25:31.6731
Easy walk
10min
200m
Scenic views & Photo opportunities
GETTING THERE
Turn off SH85 onto Macraes Rd 15 km north of Palmerston. At Macraes, turn onto Golden Point Rd. Follow the road until the end. Caution: Golden Point Rd crossed a heavily used mining track of Macreas Mine.
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Important information
Access to Callery Battery requires crossing Deep Dell Creek on foot. This crossing may be difficult or not possible after rain.
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Kaitiakitanga
Protection and guardianship are at the heart of the Geopark philosophy. We ask you to treat this site with respect, do not remove anything from this site and preserve it for our future generations.