Hydraulic mining was a form of mining using high-pressure jets of water to dislodge rock material or move sediment in preparation for the finer sluicing and extraction of alluvial gold. br/br/Numerous relics from the gold mining era remain at the Danseys Pass Hotel just 29km beyond Naseby, past the sluiced cliffs and high heaped tailings of the Kyeburn Diggings, on the road to/from Danseys Pass.br/br/The Pass Hotel was built in 1863 and for a time was the centre of all activities in the district. A stonemason called Happy Bill who built the stone building in schist took his payment in beer, a pint for every schist boulder shaped and laid on the thick walls. Today, the hotel still offers accommodation and a stopover for travellers crossing the narrow and tortuous Danseys Pass linking the Maniototo to the Waitaki valley.