Draft:Garibaldi Diggings

The Garibaldi Diggings or The Garibaldi is the remains of a historic goldmining diggings located on the Maniototo plains of Central Otago. The diggings are located about 28 km from the township of Naseby.

History
The gold rush of the 1860s brought many miners from around the world to try to luck on the gold fields of Central Otago. In 1864, Italian miners Joseph Cicileno, Clement Chiaroni and James Spedderi were prospecting and found gold in the area and named the site after Italian patriot Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882).

During the 1880s the lease was taken over by miner Mr John Green who constructed a tail race and water reservoir on the site. In 1887 the lease was taken over by Mr John Theodore Brooke Hickson who had mining experience from the goldfields of Victoria, Australia and conducted some gold prospecting in the area by driving tunnels into the surrounding hillside. In 1888 the Garibaldi Hydraulic Sluicing Company Limited was formed with shareholders of the company largely local business people from the district.

The diggings can be visited and there is a trail that visitors can use to explore the site with access located off Omnibus Creek Road with permission from the land owner.