David Hazeel, 1865–1883
A diving suit sounds like a strange thing to spend £200 on in early 1880 when you’re a miner living in the Upper Shotover. For David Hazeel and his mates, they thought it was a sure thing. Not far downstream from The Branches, they’d discovered one nugget weighing 2 oz and then another that came in at a whopping 15 oz. It was alone, but it was on the bedrock and it seemed to be a rich strike. Local news reported it at the time:
While out prospecting, Keay and Shore did a little fossicking in Woody Gully, a tributary of the Shotover, two or three miles above The Branches; they unearthed, among other rough gold, a nugget weighing 2 oz 18 dwt. Mr. Brown (a partner of Mr. D. Hazeel, storekeeper), took a turn at the same spot—the reef forming a bar in the creek—and after about half an hour’s exertion he brought to light the largest nugget yet found on the Shotover, weighing 15oz. The piece is said to resemble a heart in shape.
The gold was in the river, and so the diving suit seemed to be the answer to all their prayers. Alas, despite the time spent waiting, the endless hope, and much effort, they did not find more than two ounces, worth a grand total of £31. Hazeel did not spend much more time on his diving, and focused his business energy on more reliable, if less profitable, sources of income.
Pitch up at any hut or shop in the Wakatipu district in the 1860s and chances are you’d be met by the dulcet tones of either a Scotsman or an Irishman. David Hazeel was one of those men. He emigrated to the Australian gold rushes of Victoria in the 1850s and when that seemed to be waning, made his way to the small town of Queenstown where a gold rush was underway.
Finding his feet, the young Hazeel worked as a store man on Beach Street for John Angus, and then gathered enough capital to own the Commercial Hotel in Rees Street. It was a hub for miners and travellers and had the only American bowling saloon in the region, as well as a slew of billiard tables.
In 1864, an announcement appeared in the Lake Wakatip Mail, stating,
D Hazeel, having purchased the above premises begs - to announce to his Friends and the Public that he has made Extensive Alterations and Improvements. Which will enable him to afford superior accommodation, combined with all the essentials of a FIRST-CLASS HOTEL. Wines, Spirits and Malt Liquors of best Quality. THE ONLY AMERICAN BOWLING SALOON In the District.
A fee used to be placed on each public house or hotel that had billiard tables to raise revenue for the authorities. In 1865, Hazeel was fined for not licensing his tables.
In search of the next big thing, Hazeel followed the Shotover river up beyond Skippers, looking for an opportunity that followed the miners and their riches. He set up across the river on a broad flat terrace that was bordered by the Flood Burn, kept the sun year round, and was not far from Campbell’s Saddle. Miners came and went, looking for a successful strike, and every time they passed, they would stop in at his store. Sluicing happened off the terrace, and it was the northernmost terrace of the Shotover workings. Soon, it came to be known as Hazeel’s Terrace.
From The Branches by David and Karie Thomson and Poppie Johnson (Laughing Penguin Press, 2026).
