New Zealand Fossicking / Prospecting information

For those of you that like to organise you holidays around fossicking and prospecting. Here is a site in New Zealand that give you some areas to look. Beautiful country would be fairly untouched also in the right areas.

http://www.paydirt.co.nz/locations/public-gold-fossicking-areas#.Ud9SpGQayc1

Looks like a pretty good site..

Hey all...

I was just having a chat to a guy i work with in Australia, he was saying his grandfather owns a claim in NZ near Queenstown.
Unfortunately he passed away falling off a bit of equipment he had on site.

Has anyone done any prospecting around NZ, if so, what was it like? good results?

I would love to make it a summer trip!

I watched a U-tube video once of a few tourists swimming and finding gold in a new Zealand stream, they flew in specifically to hunt that watercourse .

the shot over canyon inn queens town was diverted for gold in the earlier days .but I dont think it was very successful ,but they sure put in some hard work .there must be some there.

I'm going to look into it a bit more, it might be a good excuse for a holiday and a dig

Back i n February I did a couple of test pans in the manawatu gorge on the north island.didn't find any gold except for the largest cubic black sand you have ever seen at the bottom of the pan.I did however get two tiny pin head sized metalicy nuggets? I threw them away but in further reaserch back home it could have been gold with a real high silver content.as some of the nuggets I've now seen from there expecially around the coromandel gold fields are not even gold in colour at all and posess this same silvery appearance.any way there gone now I was to lazzy to walk the 15 feet back to the snuffer bottle to suck them up so I will never know? When we headed over I packed my turbo pan whites GMT couple of picks and a suitcase full of prospecting gear with what ever socks, jocks and clothes I could pack around them in the little bit of space I had left in my bag.spent 5 months planning the trip and were I would search only to get over there and spend the whole time racing up and down the east coast visiting all my wife's brothers and her parents. 8.( .however my wife being Maori I did do a lot of exploring of a lot of the country a lot of people don't usually get to see.one perticular beach my brother in law took us to on Maori land had quartz viened rocks washing up on the beach every where and the beach sand was black as black.aparantly the quartz washes in off a reef just out from sea???? .this area is just nth/est of roatoria.any way next time.we head over hopefully Oct/ Nov.the good wife has.promised me we can put more time aside for.prospecting and I plan to try out some of.these spots.I have found and also remember to keep the pan In the car at all times and not to leave it behind in the suitcase.and as for the GMT? Let's just say I had a hard time prying it out of the nephews hands but it ran incredibly smooth and deep compaired with Australian soil and could ping a bottle top at nearly 2 feet on a river with a black bank made up of black clay and sand.without the slightest murmer out of the machine.this poticular area was a river below mt hikurungi which is the largest non volcanic mountain on the north island and riddled with quartz viened rock.this place is worth another look I didn't do any sampling from there but will give it a bit of time next trip as it shows a lot of promise. The peak is also the first place in the world to see the sun.just a little bit of worthless infomation for you .a lot of these places have never been tested.for gold and minerals due to the extreamitys of the land scape and access of the land and waterways due to a lot of it being on Maori land and its isolation to main infinstrucure and decent roads.as a mater of fact a lot of the country is like this in the north and there is a lot of untaped potential if the time is put in were people having been before.so Drop bear if I was you I wouldn't be afraid to try any were once over there if you have the time.but it comes with a catch!! The country is that pretty over there you might just become to distracted with the scenery. that's always my problem once I land over there sorry forum members for the noval :8

Thats awesome information!! Thanks mate. lol

I was over in Queenstown snowboarding a few years back, i was looking at some maps today and there is a river right near my hotel i was staying at that is meant to be good from panning... i wish i was into Prospecting back then! although the ex gf would have hated that hahaha (plus it was bloody cold)

As an Aussie you are allowed to buy land in NZ, so if all goes well... who knows what will happen

Also a little side info, River Dredging is allowed...................................... (from what i can tell)

DropBear said:

Thats awesome information!! Thanks mate. lol

I was over in Queenstown snowboarding a few years back, i was looking at some maps today and there is a river right near my hotel i was staying at that is meant to be good from panning... i wish i was into Prospecting back then! although the ex gf would have hated that hahaha (plus it was bloody cold)

As an Aussie you are allowed to buy land in NZ, so if all goes well... who knows what will happen

Also a little side info, River Dredging is allowed...................................... (from what i can tell)

Click to expand...

That's what was in that video,... they were dredging in full wetsuits.

My in laws good friends have land at the foothills of a major ski mountain and they have panned out gold in the shape and size of corn flakes.its in an area known for gold but when serveyed it was not profitable due to extraction cost.however these people seem to have a good supply in there creek that passes through there farm. once again though it was all Maori land so there is a good chance that are never got the attention the area that was serveyed did.although I never got to see the gold my father in law has seen a nice little jar full of the corn flakes and being 70 years of age I have no real reason to doubt him.it ironic that there friends have been no were to be seen since Christmas and they only discovered the gold around September 8)

I will give you guys a hint look for the highest ski mountain smack bang in the center of north island find a creek and start digging.the mountain starts with T.if you can figure it out with the clues x marks the spot.this would be the area to hit.the photos are non gold related just a couple of spots on the far nth/east coast.

Mrs dwt's dad panned enough gold out to get a ring for mother in law dwt, he's in the township of Nelson, I must make the trip over there one day, he has a old school Ducati sitting in his shed with my name on it, so id better get over there soon to collect it, part of his terms on the "when you coming over to visit" speel, anyways he reckons he didn't go far out of Nelson to pan his colour.
Cool pics k man

If there's a ducati in the shed with your name on it DWT.I would be making hey while the sun shines, its amazing how much gold is there I think the remoteness over there is the key.good luck to you all anyone that gets over there.I will take some prospecting pics next time over.

If I had a motorbike waiting for me, I would be on the next boat over,.... everything else could wait,...I'm sure !

I gotta get my camel first, and also I've been contemplating getting a pet Aldabra Tortoise as well

I'd swim back with it if I had too.(with a camel and a tortoise).

I am from Greymouth - on the West Coast, South Island of NZ and there was a gold rush around the area in the 1860's
There is a place called Shantytown which is like a tiny Sovereign Hill which you go to numerous times for school growing up there!

I am heading home for a holiday next month and will be going out panning and metal detecting with my Mum if the weather is ok. Really looking forward to getting out prospecting. I know that there are only a few places where panning is permitted so I will share the place/area names and the results when I get back! Not going till Mid June but that will be here before I know it.

Check out this nugget found in an NZ creek

That would be amazing if you can!

Wow! Thats a good nugget.

Hopefully you do well and find some goodies!

I'd wait till summer and take the snorkeling gear.

That is unbelievable BackCreek....that's it Cuz...I'm heading to NZ when the weather warms up Bro!