Sara Keen has often visited a secluded spot with a gilded past, but has yet to pack her gold pan.
The Lindis Pass Historic Hotel until fairly recently has been hard to see as you go through the Lindis.
Now, after some tree removal, it can be seen if you know where to look.
This hotel and its associated gold history, makes this spot an interesting place to visit.
Over the years, we've been into the site several times.
To get there, we drive towards the pass from Tarras for about 15km and turn left on to Old Faithful Rd.
It's a 6km drive along a winding gravel road to the hotel site, situated in the Nine Mile Reserve.
Close to the ruins is a free Department of Conservation (Doc) campsite, with room for about six tents, and a toilet nearby. Water is from the river.
Doc has done an excellent job of stabilising the ruins and of providing information about the hotel and its surrounds.
A bit of background ... In 1857, John Turnbull Thomson, while exploring and surveying the Lindis Pass area, found gold in the Lindis River. Although he reported the find, nothing happened and it was not until 1861, when gold was rediscovered there, that Otago's first gold rush began.
About 300 miners set up camp at Camp Creek, not far upriver from the hotel.
It was a short-lived rush as the returns were poor and, in this remote location, supplies expensive.
And then, a few months later, gold was found at Gabriel's Gully, Lawrence, and all but a few miners moved on to this more accessible and lucrative goldfield.
As with any gold rush, services came, and the hotel began its life as a sly grog shop for the miners.
It wasn't until 1873 that it became a hotel proper.
Over the years, the buildings were extended and the hotel serviced travellers coming through the Lindis Pass.
Its demise came in the early 1950s, when the road was moved to the other side of the river and the hotel was abandoned.
After exploring the ruins, it's worth walking further up the road into the gorge where there's an old miner's hut and some tailings.
After the miners departed for Gabriel's Gully, the few who remained made modest returns.
Over the years, there's been some sluicing, Chinese reworked the riverbed and a dredge worked below the hotel.
The hut once belonged to ''Wattie'' Thompson, the last miner to live in the area.
He returned from World War 2, set up camp in the area, and remained there until 1971, when a flood swept his diggings away and he gave up.
For those wishing to stop a while, there's a few things to do. On one trip, we climbed Lindis Peak (1226m), which is accessed via a Doc track on the left just as you enter Old Faithful Rd.
It's a five- to six-hour (return) slog but well worth the effort.
Due to cloud, we didn't get all the hoped-for views of the Southern Alps, but the views of surrounding countryside were pleasant nevertheless. (Note: the track is closed between October 10 and December 5, for lambing.)
The surrounding area begs exploration by mountain bike or tramping but permission must be sought from the various landowners to do this.
We have always fancied doing a bit of panning in the river in the faint hope that some gold was left behind, but so far we've yet to remember to pack our gold pan.
Another time, another visit.
