Hindon, New Zealand

Hindon is a small settlement in inland Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located 24 kilometres (15 mi) northwest of Dunedin in the Silverpeaks Range, close to the edge of the Strath Taieri. The Taieri Gorge Railway runs through Hindon on its way between Dunedin and Middlemarch.

Hindon Railway Station beside the Taieri River circa 1926
Hindon

Hindon was named by provincial superintendent John Hyde Harris, who owned land in the area, though the origin of the name is not known.[1] The area was a centre of activity during the latter part of the Otago Gold Rush, with several mines working the gold-bearing quartz reefs at Hindon and nearby Barewood. The size of the township dwindled markedly after the end of the rush.[2] Little remains of the mines, though some subsided shafts remain as hazards for local farmers.[3]

Hindon has a population of around 70 people. At the height of the gold rush its population was around 1200.

References
  1. Reed, A.W. (1975) Place names of New Zealand. Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed. p. 174.
  2. "The Hindon and Barewood Reefs", Otago Witness, 31 March 1892. Retrieved from Papers Past, New Zealand National Library, 7 November 2015.
  3. Hutchinson, D., "Hindon mine shaft 'bit of a graveyard'," Otago Daily Times, 5 May 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2015.

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