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212 Town proved to be one of the richest fields of all and presently 10,000 men were located throughout the district. These diggings were very hard to reach, the only means of access being by roughly defined tracks through the bush, which proved particularly bad going for pack horses, dogs being utilised to carry loads up to 30 pounds in weight.

As a result of these discoveries John Rochfort was instructed in July to lay off the town of Greymouth. While the survey was being carried out there was a great rush for sections close to Reuben Waite’s store, which was on the Maori Reserve. The whole of the river frontages were quickly taken up, many on Mawhera Quay bringing as high as £12 per foot. Substantial buildings, including stores and two-storey hotels, were quickly erected, despite the fact that timber cost £2 10s. per hundred square feet. Provisions also became very dear, flour selling at £150 per ton. The population was estimated at this time to be 3,000, and W. H. Revell was transferred from Hokitika to open a Warden’s Court. Larnach notes that “it was currently reported and believed at this time that many of the claims at Maori Gully and Red Jack’s were yielding a pound weight of gold per man a day.”

On this becoming known still more men poured into Greymouth, which was now the established centre of the new field. With this