Oilmen hope to strike black gold in Wairarapa

An oilrig now drilling east of Masterton could be the first of many in Wairarapa depending on what it finds, according to a company spokesman.
Discovery Geo Corporation is backing a 1km-deep well near Blairlogie, at the intersection of the Castlepoint and Riversdale roads.
The rig has been operating 24 hours a day since last week, and is expected to continue until next weekend, when it will move to a job in Christchurch.
Exploration manager Bruce Morris said the purpose of the well is to test the possibility of a petroleum system under the Wairarapa soil.
"A lot of the east coast of the North Island has natural gas. It has always kind of intrigued people," Mr Morris said.
The site of the well, named Ranui-1 after the farm where it is located, is near "Kerosene Ridge" so named because of the natural gas vent there.
Early settlers noticed when they were burning the native bush or scrub to farm the land, one particular area would keep burning after the rest had died down.
Last year Discovery Geo conducted seismic surveys and made the decision to drill, although Mr Morris said it was "a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack".
Scientists will spend months analysing the results of the well dig and deciding on the next move.
By identifying rock layers from the well and doing further soundwave tests, the company will be able to get a clearer picture of the whole area under the surface.
Under New Zealand legislation landowner Mark Mossman would not receive any direct payment for any oil, but he says he is happy with the shingled lane the drillers have constructed for transporting the rig, water and other trucks to the drilling site, 1.4km from the road.
"It will be the envy of most country roads," Mr Mossman said.
Two teams of about 25 people work on the well in 12-hour shifts, eating and sleeping on site in a makeshift camp built from shipping containers.
An oil drill operates the same way as drilling for water, with circular teeth that break up the soil and rock, and a sticky drilling fluid poured down the centre to keep the machine cool.
This fluid picks up the chunks of rock and draws them back up the outside of the drilling tube.
The well is sealed with pipes as each new section is finished, and it gets progressively narrower as it descends.
The rig at Ranui-1 is brand-new and drilling its first well.
It has been custom-built for New Zealand exploration, and can be dismantled small enough to be transported on New Zealand roads, without any "wide load" travel restrictions.
Mr Morris said an oil find would be good for Wairarapa as it would provide jobs and boost the economy, as has happened already in Taranaki.
Though he's not yet sure of what is under the Wairarapa soil, he is sure of one thing.
"If there's oil there, we'll find it."