By Sorrell Hoskin

Walk along New Plymouth's Ngamotu Beach today and there is little evidence of its turbulent oil history. The small beach is a mere miniature of its previous halcyon days when starry-eyed pioneers ventured into the oil game and kick started 140 years of boom and bust prospecting for black gold. 

But past the lone ""nodding neddie"" beam pump memorial and along the pathway under the majestic pohutukawa, nestled by the New Plymouth Yacht Club, a stream of greenish brown crude is making its way silently to the earth's surface.

Silent producer: RNP-4 produces three barrels a day from one of the oldest oilfieds in the world

Image: Greymouth Petroleum

One of the oldest oilfields in the world is still producing oil.

The RNP-4 well was re-opened four years ago by GeoSphere Exploration and Greymouth Petroleum. A modern day version of a beam pump was installed and oil was pumped out at a rate of around five barrels a day.

Today the well is owned solely by Greymouth Petroleum. Auckland-based director John Sturgess is passionate about the little oilfield.

""Over the last 150 years a lot of people have had their fingers burnt trying to get oil at Moturoa - it'll never be much but, well, it's the history isn't it?""

RNP-4 now flows naturally at around three barrels of crude a day - without the use of the pump. The oil is stored and taken away by truck every month.

Oil-to-go: crude oil is stored on site before being transported every month

Last year the company, in partnership with Ngati Te Whiti, reopened the Moturoa 2 well and began re-drilling it. But found something ""really hard"" at the bottom. Plans are to broach the well from a different angle.

Early this year a seismic survey was done at the Port, the results are still being interpreted but John is hopeful more pockets of oil will be found. If so, then oil will once again be flowing freely at the little oilfield.