High Grade Gold Intersected At The Reefton Project

VANCOUVER - Rua Gold Inc. reported on drilling at the Cumberland gold camp at the Reefton Project on New Zealand's South Island. In the first month of drilling, the initial two holes intersected near-surface, high-grade gold mineralization. These results validate the prospective targets identified through VRIFY 's AI-Assisted Mineral Discovery Platform, DORA. Drilling is ongoing and continues to build on these encouraging early results, with systematic testing progressing southward along the 2.2 km historic mine corridor.

Significant broad quartz veins were intersected in drillholes CUDDH001 and CUDDH002, defining true widths of the main Gallant vein ranging from 5m to 9m. These results are consistent with historical intersections reported by OceanaGold Limited. Drilling has confirmed discrete zones of high-grade gold mineralization hosted by quartz veins, accompanied by a broad halo of lower-grade gold from surface to a depth of 80m.

The geological team have relocated the drill rig to a new pad situated 100m south of the initial drill pad. 6 holes of depths ranging from 70m to 180m are planned, where surface mapping has identified quartz veins extending 200m southward. Steeply dipping quartz veins with continuity from surface contributes to significantly lower drilling and development costs, supporting efficient advancement towards a resource.

Robert Eckford, CEO, said, "We acquired the Cumberland gold camp in November 2024 and received access agreements to commence drilling in April 2025. From the very first drill holes, we intersected significant, wide quartz veins hosting high-grade gold, confirming historical intercepts. This marks an exciting start, validating the effectiveness of the VRIFY AI targeting process and confirming near-surface mineralization with the potential to extend the envelope of known mineralization across a 2km structural zone.

Our focus is on developing economically viable ounces, and the Gallant target is a key part of this strategy. Fully accessible via a road, the Gallant target has logistical simplicity for both exploration and potential development. Achieving high-grade, near-surface intercepts at this early stage is a significant milestone in demonstrating the viability of our hub-and-spoke business model that we envisage for the Reefton Goldfield.

The Gallant prospect represents the first VRIFY target that we have drilled so far. This structure is traceable on surface for over 600m and remains largely untested along strike and at depth. These initial results are an encouraging step in defining the potential shape and size of this target."