The Otago Gold Rush was a gold rush that occurred during the 1860s in Central Otago, New Zealand. This was the country's biggest gold strike, and led to a rapid influx of foreign miners to the area. The rush started at Gabriel's Gully but spread throughout much of Central Otago, leading to the rapid expansion and commercialization of the new colonial settlement of Dunedin, which quickly grew to be New Zealand's largest city. (Thomas) Gabriel Read (1824 - 1894) was a Tasmanian gold prospector born between 1824 - 1826. After working on the goldfields of California and Victoria, Australia, Read travelled to Otago, having heard rumours of gold being found in Mataura. In 1861 he discovered gold close to the banks of the Tuapeka River in Otago, at Gabriel's Gully, which is named after him.
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