Blizzard and flood of 1863

The weather up to mid June had been reasonably mild.[3] By late June the winter snows had arrived, but were no more than were normal.[4] Into July there was still no significant change from the routine weather patterns with snow building up in the higher country, although to a lesser extent than normal.[5][6]

Heavy rains

Clutha River

On 4 July the weather changed to a six-day period of rain. On 7 July the temperature markedly increased which caused a rapid snow melt. All the rivers in the area; the Clutha (Molyneux), the Kawarau, the Shotover, the Arrow, the Manuherikia, the Bannockburn, and numerous streams flooded. The Clutha River rose 6 metres (20 ft) in a night. The Shotover River reached 10 metres (33 ft) above its normal flow and the Arrow River flooded Arrowtown. Even Lake Wakatipu rose over 1 metre (3.3 ft).[2][7][6][8]

The gold miners in these areas tended to camp near the river banks and with the sudden change in river flows many were caught unawares and swept to their deaths. Those who escaped the torrents lost all their possessions. The number who lost their lives was unknown. One man was reported drowned on the Arrow River.[2][6][9]

From 13 to 15 August blizzards and heavy snows swept through inland Otago from the Taieri Plains to the lakes.[17] On 14 August about 40 miners were said to have been buried in an avalanche at Separation Creek in the Serpentine Gully.[18] The party that went to investigate found them alive, but in want of provisions.[19] All areas were isolated as the roads had become impassible and impossible to find. Reports began to come in of various people perishing. In the vicinity of Black Ball and Drunken Woman's Creek a party of 16 were thought to have perished, but this too later proved inaccurate.[20] Another two miners were thought to have perished at the Nevis.[21]

Confirmed reports of deaths were a man missing between German Jock's Gully and Teviot, Robert Henry from the Pomahaka diggings on 15 August, and another man Alexander Alexander by an avalanche at Pomahaka.[22] John Penfold from the Old Man Range was confirmed dead from exposure on either 12 or 13 August.[23] William Nicol died on his way from Gorge Ferry to Campbells Diggings.[24]

There was a further death reported of a man who had been hospitalised suffering from frostbite. The remainder of August had reasonably mild weather.[25] There was one body discovered in September near Pyramid Rock on the Old Man Range when the snow had begun to melt.[26] Two further bodies were found on the Old Man Range in early October, Joseph Thompson who was thought to have died in September and a man called Landregan who was thought to have died in the August blizzards.[27] Nicholas Cordts' body was found at the end of October in Potters Gulley and John Stewart's at the beginning of November in Pomahawka Creek. Both had died during the August blizzards.[28][29] A skeleton was found in January 1864 near the Timber Gully to Teviot track and the person's cause of death was attributed to being most likely the August blizzard.[30]

The weather through September was a mix of fine spells, rain, and occasional snow. On 23 September, a police party was caught in a heavy snow storm in the Kakanui Range near Naseby. Sergeant Garvie of Ranfurly became separated from the party and died, but the rest reached safety.[2][31] In December a small party of miners got caught on the summit of the Old Man Range in a storm. Three of the five perished.[32][33] A similar occurrence took place on Switzer's with one being overcome from exposure and another drowning in a party of five.[34]

In 1928 a stone monument was erected by the Government at Gorge Creek (formerly known as Chamounix Creek) to mark the miners' deaths on the Old Man Range crossing.[36] This location was once the centre of the mining area with stores, hotels, and grog shanties. There are graves in the area of men who died in the storms and the summit of the Old Man Range cairns mark the miners' graves and rescuers who died there.[2]

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