Hi!
I’ve just recently purchased a metal detector, a gold monster 1000. I just had my first detect today at five mile creek, going all the way down but finding nothing but junk,I will be out for another go after work tomorrow! But I’m just wondering if there’s any tricks to the gold monster? It says it self ground balances but have tested in the back garden with gold, coins and some iron sand, and the iron sand still out weighed the gold,
Has anyone used this machine in highly mineralised ground and had results?
Any help would be much appreciated,
And also if anyone has or knows of some ground around central Otago I could detect that would be awesome!
Thanks
Ben
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Hi Ben. The monster is certainly capable of finding small gold but does get a bit freaked out on large iron signals. Persevere and you’ll get used to it. I also took mine down 5 mile and found bugger all but know of people finding good pickers further up (way up). Tough climbing but the only way to go. I’ve also used the monster to find early coins when my other machine was down but you have to be happy to dig a lot which limits where its best used. Hang in there and it’ll pay off.
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Hi
Thanks for the info! I had a go this arvo down the arrow finding nothing but junk, and it was definitely freaking out at the iron deposits! I’ve been out nearly every second day after work since making this post with no real luck, I’ve had 2 full days up 5 mike again with hardly a noise other then the two old miners picks I found, had a couple afternoons out at gibston hanging off the cliffs… and have just spend the weekend all around the hills in Arrowtown in some old caves and mine shafts digging up a lot of 22 caseings and lead shot,
But i suppose that’s just detecting, hopefully one day soon I’ll find some gold 
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KiwiJW has picked all the spots you can think of clean with every machine available. The best advice I ever got was to find old water ways and dry creeks then dig like you would in a river until you uncover or get close to bed rock then have a defect. My mate has found many oz + nuggets doing that in the hills and says it pays off better than aimless walking. I’d imagine 12 mile terraces would be way better than 5 mile area as the alluvial deposits were way higher, head towards Sam summers hut when you get to bridge cross over the 12 mile onto the flat terrace then look up the hill, all that mountain face heading in both directions is the old workings and can just about be accessed walking up the gully’s, once your up there you’ll see the hidden scale of the mining in 12 mile, plenty of bedrock and railings to move, also good treasures, I’ve found nuggets, pocket knives and all sorts
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Ben. Your experience is typical of attempts to detect for gold in the Queenstown Lakes District. The only real detecting success have been along the sides of creeks with exposed bedrock that can be broken up. And there are probably no more of those spots left any more. I had the same zero results as you on the Kawarau at Gibbson Valley. Best to always remember that the ones making money from detecting are those selling the detectors.
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