The Clutha Gold Trail extension from Lawrence to Waihola opened in August, and tracking its construction for unearthed heritage gems was Origin Consultants archaeologist Jeremy Moyle.
The Clutha Gold Trail Charitable Trust hired Origin to observe construction of the 63km trail extension, and ensure any archaeology revealed was recorded.
Mr Moyle said he had identified and surveyed 50 sites of interest along the trail, the results of which the trust had now made public.
Although artefacts were limited, the trail held a significant amount of "monumental" built history, and one or two hidden surprises, he said.
"Although Māori probably traversed this route, the vast majority of what we were surveying was Pākehā.
"European settlers started to enter the landscape in the early 19th century, with significant influxes from 1840, then again during the 1860s as gold was discovered in the district.
That included bottle and pottery fragments, a clock mechanism and an egg cup.
The sites recorded include a variety of agricultural, domestic, hotel, railway, educational, and gold-mining features.
"What was unusual about this project was the sheer volume of sites we identified.
"Some parts of the route appear very untouched, and are overgrown with trees. But when we started digging, we found evidence of human presence almost everywhere."
That had included the identification of a previously hidden house foundation near the Mt Stuart railway tunnel, now overgrown with sycamore trees.
Monumental features such as railway tunnel facings had been obscured by vegetation.
Now cleared, they would enhance the visitor experience for riders, he said.
Some of the history had always been visible, although it was "fading fast" Mr Moyle said.
"There are things like old homesteads that are decaying now. One aspect of this research is that it allows others to see what’s here, and consider what steps they might want to take to share or conserve it."
Possible elements of interest for visitors included abandoned buildings, gangers’ huts, railway structures, gold-sluicing remains and a quarry.
It was a "great trail to ride", and he believed highlighting historic features could only enhance the visitor experience.
"Riding a bike through this historic landscape allows you to experience it at the scale and pace of the early goldfield settlers ... It’s saturated with history."
