Invincible Gold Mine

The Invincible Gold Mine track was built by miners in the early 1880s and is part of the Otago Goldfields Park. It climbs steadily, first through beech forest rich with native bird life, later through manuka trees. Stunning views of the Rees Valley and Mt Earnslaw/ Pikirakatahi await at the top.

Along the track, you can see the remains of the water wheel and a unique set of seven berdans (the most complete in NZ) – large, revolving cast iron bowls in which the ore was ground. The gold extractor is about 5 minutes from the start of the Invincible Gold Mine track. Much of the gold mined was contaminated with iron pyrite and the berdans couldn’t separate all the gold from the fool’s gold so the tailings were sent down a long flume to be reprocessed on the valley floor.

The track is located 30 minutes drive up Rees Valley Road from Glenorchy. Please note that the Rees valley road is gravel and there are a couple of small fords on the road.

Visit the track description on the Department of Conservation website