Edward Peters

Edward Peters (1893), otherwise known as Black Peter, was a farm hand and pioneer gold prospector who first reported finding gold in the Tokomairaro River which would later become part of New Zealand's first workable goldfield: the Tuapeka Goldfield, including Gabriel's Gully. Peters was born in India and came to New Zealand in 1853 having previously worked in the California goldfields. Despite his discovery, he died a pauper in Dunedin, the significance of his efforts never truly being recognised during this lifetime due to a combination of racism and local politics at the time. Early life Edward Peters was born in Satara in Maharashtra state, India, around 1826, though this is uncertain. Born into the Maratha caste, Peters is often recorded as being a native of Bombay (Mumbai), a Eurasian or a half-caste. At some point, in search of a livelihood, he moved to Bombay and began taking jobs on ships. This initially took him to California where he would participate in the gold rush of the late 1840s. It is most-likely he adopted his Christian name between leaving India and arriving in the west. After California, there is some evidence that Peters then moved onto working the Victorian gold fields in Australia, but this remains uncertain and poorly documented.