There's Oil in Them There Hills (Nelson/Marb) Mangles Valley, South Island, New Zealand
By bumandworker on 11-Apr-13. Waypoint GC49KCV

I missed parking at the closest spot and instead stopped just a little down the road. As I walked back, I met the farmer who lives at the end of the road. We had a great chat about the oil exploration and how the companies just missed the main puddle because they drilled right past it.He went on his way as I drove along to find a spot to turn around. The only place I found was at a gate. I got 3/4 of the way around when my rear tire lost traction and I was stuck.I tried placing gravel in front of the tire, but it just shot out the back. Bigger rocks had the same result. I then jacked up the tire so I could put more rocks and stones under the tire for traction. Three attempts did not produce results.I had no cell coverage, so I hiked down to the house, which was over 1km, to call AA. No one was home. As I walked back the same farmer as before was driving up the road on his 4WD ATV. He understood the problem and went to get a chain from the homestead.I continued to walk back to the van, but he caught up with me a gave me a ride.He was able to find a tie-down hook to attach and the small ATV, and along with coordinating effort from the van, he got us out of the jam.Many thanks to farmers who have unstuck my poor van. I have to get a 4WD someday. TFTC.

Im glad I'm not a smoker, strong smell of gas here. Cache had fallen out of its hidy hole so replaced making sure it won't fall out again. Thanks b&w

#14054

Quick easy find the smell of oil is very strong today ,thanks bumandworker for bringing us to this out of the way place if I wasn't caching I would know it was here

Interesting history and a nice drive. TFTC!!

My dad told me about the gas up this way a while back ( I think he may have hunted out here ) and today I found this capped well along with the cache. I thought I had a photo of the pressure gauge but I don't but it certainly smells of old oil here. Interesting piece of history and a strange phenomenon. I'm keen to check out the tour now. Thanks bumandworker.

*Thanks bumandworkerfor putting out this cache for woolwood9 and I to find!*
SL **tm/ww NZ** (may just be a black smudge on the many wet or plastic logs)
Weather was quite bad again with lots of rain

*Another lonely cache visited, long drive to this one, cache found quickly, log was mush so we left a fresh one!*

Nice to be away on another geocaching trip with tmann421, travelling to a few places in the upper South Island.
All logs signed tm/ww NZ
TFTC

Fascinating cache right here. Did a bit more hunting and you can read a bit more here https://virtualexhibit.marlboroughmuseum.org.nz/marlborough_pictorial/September_1970.pdf?fbclid=IwAR16QPIXCUz8t1eCAHg2UGM9HzVdrOhQfNeLFHzJgWeFoqQSMx8uaF7aaA0

Anyhow, thanks for the cache and write up. Cheers

It was interesting to come up here, particularly as someone was talking about this road in the car on the way past the day before. Interesting history. Thanks.

Cows mmm. they made an interested audience. TFTC

Great day geocaching with Sidewaze and Libitee
We had a very curious audience at GZ watching us very closely as we signed the log.
Thank you bumandworker for the cache

Today's adventure was to have a round trip from Murchison to Blackwater to Lake Rotoroa via the Braeburn Track and back to Murchison. It wasn't a very successful day as I only found 66% of the caches at the locations I visited.

Thanks for this interesting lesson in local history.

Cheers for the cache.

All felt a little forboding, but got there and back ok.

Gk and his brothers used to hunt in this valley, they used to take sausages and a billy - they would light the gas and cook up their lunch. He finds it amusing that someone now charges people to go and see the natural gas outlet. This was a great time to remember his youth. TFTC

It was certainly interesting to read the story behind this cache. The gauge at the well head was indicating 120 psi today. I would have loved to see the flame - but it was only afterwards that I learned that there are commercial tours to see the flames. Thanks for leading me here B&W.

Came out to the natural flames today awesome aroha and happy caching

One of those inetersting facts that you would never find out if it was not fo caching. Thanks for bringing us here and a favourite for our pleasure.

A day to get from Murchison to Picton to catch the ferry. Time to find a few little boxes....

Thanks to the CO's for the hides. Cheers.

This has got to be my favourite for today. An old 'oil well', a simple find.

Out for a geocaching Father's Day outing with my Dad. An ideal way to spend the day. Yes a pretty isolated valley road so it was good that our timing had the muggle truck appear after we had got back in the car. With two bikes on the back he probably just assumed we were lost. We waved and he drove off as did we.
Thanks bumandworker for the cache.

#9334

Pity there was no gas today as could have used some to warm things up from the recent snow fall on the tops. Great bit of local history as well. TFTC

First time we have been up here, very interesting, had a yarn to the guy in the bach at the end of the road, i don`t think he sees many people up there, couldn`t get away. Cache was very wet, a lot of snow around. Thanks B&W for getting us in the backblocks.

While Hazedarus turned the car I got out in the drizzle to find this cache and find it I did, a metre or so from the hint item, in fact I nearly trod on it. After signing the damp log it was returned to where I suspect it was meant to be and anchored, hopefully to still be in place for the next finder. Thank you bumandworker.

After I turned the car I inspected the valve. I was surprised to see the pressure gauge reading 90psi. It sure smelled like the real McCoy. Meantime Holymu made the find in less time than it took to get all the iddy bits from here clothes after. Thank you Bumandworker for placing this cache.

#9110. It was well worth a side trip up the valley to this interesting feature. The current Listener has a story on this area, including a photo of the capped oil well. TFTC.

Well, you learn something new every day. Who would've thought there's oil and gas in them thar hills?
We parked by the oil well and had a look. Certainly smelt oily. The fence around the well is not up to the job any more as it is pretty much fallen down.
Then we walked over to GZ where StreetWalker quickly found the cache.
Very interesting history - thanks for the cache page information and the cache.

A busy weekend of caching was planned by Capperz, and The Seagnoid and myself were invited along. This was a great chance for each of us to pass a few caching goals. Many of our logs were abbreviated to GH, CAP, SEG or GH TS CZ depending on room available.
With our accomodation booked near Lake Rotoiti, and the inclusion of a small boat to expand our travel options the planning was sorted. Pick up a few each on the way up Friday night. Do the bulk of the walking on Saturday morning. Boat around the lake in the afternoon and then break out the Landrover for some off roading on Sunday. We explored some amazing areas, had a lot of fun and dodged the worst of the weather.
We weren't really sure what to expect up here, and were pleasently surprised to see the remains of the oil supply. Cool spot and a nice drive in.
T F T C

A weekend trip up to the Nelson Lakes with G H 6 7 1 0 and the Seagnoid was planned with a couple of days of the weekend in one of the work baches not far off the lake side in Rotoiti/ St Arnaud. Targets were set; get the Seagnoid past 4000 caches, get more than 50 a day for G H 6 7 1 0, and get me past 3200 cache finds. Also in target was some tramping, some boat caching (grabbing whilst moored as close as safely possible to G Z) some 4 W Driving and some basic park and grabs. We also wanted to get all of the puzzle/unknown caches in St Arnaud as well as 100% of the multi caches in St Arnaud (cache Tectonics!). There was driving, boating, walking, rain, mist, sun, ducklings, eels and trout, sandflies (of course), beech trees and great views. Fun and sweat (no tears), a wasp sting and over 100 caches found for me. We all surpassed our targets and at the end of 2 full on days we returned to a cooler Blenheim than when we left tired out.
Day 3 begins and a couple around St Arnaud to start us off including two solved puzzle caches and a couple of 'on the way past' caches too. Aren't they always on the way past? We contrive to make it so usually!
Off in the car now to clear out the caches in the Howard Valley area. Lovely back roads caching with great views and a decent little stream most of the time within view.
Onto the end of the Porika Track and a chance for G H 6 7 1 0 to utilise his 4 W D skills in the Land Rover. There were some hairy up bits and the same on the way back down. We ended up going to the Glenhope Boundary cache before retracing our route then coming up from the Rotoroa Lake side later on.
After the earlier exertions 9for Garth's car) up the Porika this was time for a leisurely trip along the Braeburn Track towards Murchison. Looking forward to some more even ground and some relative park and grabs.
A bonus cache not in my G P S but in Garth and Tom's. Able to park right along side for a true park and grab. Garth grabbed a photo on the way past and off we head again, hillbilly style
T F T C b&w

[green] Capperz decided that this was the weekend for a marathon run on St Arnaud. Not sure why, except that base lodge there had a cancelled weekend and was free to grab. So he, I and GH6710 had an interesting time caching the surrounds. Rained on and off. The wet long grass meant that I had wet feet for the entire trip. Saw the insides and tops of clouds, some great views, lots of rabbits (or maybe just the one, many times over - it always did the same thing: safe on the side of the road, it decides to runs across just in front of the car). Also got to see robins, sandflies, no keas, sandflies and more sandflies. We managed to get GH to break his 50/day record, and over 120 for the whole trip. Saturday we climbed half way up Mt Robert in the morning then boated around Lake Rotoiti in a little yellow plastic dingy for the afternoon. Sunday was lonely cache day - some over 10 months since their last find. Many of these found with GH's 4x4, bumping over some very rough roads, my first real experience of four wheel driving. What an awesome weekend!
Today is 4x4 day, First the Porika and now the Braeburn Track. Okay, this is cool. Gets a fav for the unusual history. Thanks, B&W. (I like history caches)

Warm down now from the Braeburn Power Trail experience. A detour on the way to SH6
Mmmm, now what's that doing here?
Straightforward find. Cache in order, log signed, and cache safely re-hidden.
Getting a bit overgrown around GZ. The dreaded blackberry establishing a presence. Crushed underfoot!
TFTC found with tea cacher Sweet P too
The Turtle strikes again!

What an interesting cache and there is certainly a strong smell of it here. I hadn't heard any of these stories before Sidewaze told me some of the history on the way to the cache and now reading so much more in the description. I must make a point of visiting the museum as I pass through some time. thanks for pointing this bit of history out. TFTC #6218

Makes one wonder if there should be a few "No Smoking" signs around here. TFTC .

This was a must for me today when I left home

SoBad knew about the gas here from a fun day a few years ago motorbiking - in a group where he was the youngest by about 20 years. They had permission to ride to where the gas fire is - and the fun of surprising a much younger group who looked stunned when the bike helmets came off. But neither of us had been to this spot before and it made an interesting sidestep on our way home from Murchison.
Thanks.

Last cache for the day on my way home from caching out and beyond. I've read about some of this history and was wondering at what sort of price point the oil or gas here would become commercially viable? Certainly a strong smell of it around the well. I also noticed new signs out on the main highway at both ends of Murchison promoting tours to the 'flames in the forest' which would be quite an amazing place to visit. TFTC, Biggles.

First cache of the new year! There are small bottles of oil samples from Blackwater I and Blackwater II in the Murchison Museum, as well as the drill bit. "Natural Flames" offer a trip to see the fire for $85 but it is further up the valley than this cache. TFTC

An interesting historical spot to visit, although it took us a wee while to locate the cache. TFTC

#3283 @1100
Heading back to Christchurch. Dropped my daughter off to visit friends in Murchison, leaving me to baby sit the grand kids for an hour, so we went exploring and 'treasure hunting'. Quickly found. Interesting history. The kids were fascinated with the bees hovering around the old well. TFTC.

This is one of those caches that makes me really enjoy geocaching - I would never have known of it without this to bring me here. A very interesting bit of history! I'm guessing that someone is still taking gas or condensate from the well - the gauge on it read 190 PSI pressure and there's a coupling there for a hose. When I very briefly opened the valve a bit, a spurt of mixed gas and liquid shot out. From the smell I would guess that the liquid is a petroleum fraction similar to a mixture of kerosene and diesel oil. You should be able to run an older-style diesel engine just fine on this. If there are more wells in the area, there's definitely a bit of free energy for someone here. The cache was a quick find - signed log and thanks for bringing me to this interesting spot!

[blue]Day 3 of our 31 Days of Caching Challenge.[/blue] Today we are gathering caches on the way to St Arnaud.
A quick find and sign with no one around although heading back to the car a 4WD passed us that turned out to be kiddzinn. I think they mustve went further up the road to find turning room. Mums car is pretty little so she could just turn at the cache site. We had a wee chat further on up at the letterbox cache and introduced ourselves. It was nice to put faces to the username we had been following the last few caches this morning. Thanks for the cache

Well that was very interesting. Yes there is gas there. Isn't caching great the places it takes you & the things you learn. Even met 2 more lovely cachers here. TFTC

Am learning so much of our history that I hadn't realised was there.

What a cool spot...cache...and area. Was white as this morning and possibly all day

You dont think of NZ as having oil wells that actually produce oil,but here it is.No oil now, only gas.

Detoured up the road to check this one out while on the way to Murchison after completing the Braeburn track . SL TFTC

Really interesting place. Smell that oil. Thanks for bringing me up here.
TFTC

my grandfather used to talk about oil coming out of the ground somewhere around murch. now i know where. tftc

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