Map showing movements of the Burgess gang

Map showing main locations mentioned in the text. Richard Burgess and Thomas Kelly (then known as Noon) took three weeks to get from Dunedin to Hokitika. They were escorted by the Otago police to the provincial border with Canterbury, the Waitaki River. They then evaded Canterbury police as they travelled on to Hokitika via the Rakaia Gorge and the Arahura Valley.

Over the next few months the gang committed a series of crimes on the West Coast, including the murder of George Dobson, who had helped explore suitable routes from Canterbury to the West Coast – Arthur's Pass is named after his brother. From Greymouth they travelled by steamer to Westport and then on to Nelson. Intending to walk to Picton, they got as far as the Wakamarina goldfields, where they hatched a plan to commit murder and robbery on the Maungatapu Track.