KYEBURN DIGGINGS

The Kyeburn Diggings goldfield was in existence even before the main finds at Naseby, gold being found there in 1861. Sluicing and dredging were the main mining methods with larger dredges working in the Kyeburn River until 1920.  Hotels, stores, a butcher and a baker served the miners needs and a school opened in the mid-1860's, closing in 1935.  Coal was also mined, providing the Maniototo with a good source of fuel until the railway arrived in Ranfurly allowing coal to be brought into the area. One of the few reminders of the settlement is the Upper Kyeburn Cemetery which sits silently alongside the road with prices for burial plots listed on a board.