Mitchells Gully Goldmine and Glow Worm Caves

This unexpected stop in Charleston proved to be one of the highlights of our South Island trip. Twenty-two km south of Westport, lies an authentic look at the area's mining history. Mitchells Gully is the opposite tourist experience from the slick outfitters like Southern Discoveries or Real Journeys. The owner and guide of the goldmine is the great-great grandson of the goldmine's founder and is a fount of knowledge on mining, the Charleston Area and the resident spiders in the mine. He has turned the detritus of his family goldmine into a user-friendly self-guided tour.

The (low) price of admission includes the goldmine tour, glow worm caves, free overnight campervan parking and fresh free-range eggs in the morning, if the girls are laying. We arrived in the late afternoon, listened to the history of gold mining in New Zealand and then helped feed the chickens. There is a self-led tour of the mine through the lush landscape to see the water wheel, ore car tracks and even pan for our own gold! After dinner, he returned to lead our group of ten through the same goldmine tunnels at night to see the glow worms. We held the hips of those in front of us to form a Conga line of sorts and shuffled through the dark. It was a wonderful experience to see the caves with such a small group.

Wear sturdy shoes, bring a flashlight (torch) and cash.

Open 7 days/week 9am - 4pm
$10 per adult, kids are free; a bit more for the nightly glow worm tour
There's an honesty box if he's not there.

Image and text: Annika Paradise