For Minute I thought the actual fossicking area had closed but i can just read the fine print so was this someones mining permit that allowed fossicking or some council thing ?
I went yesterday and seen this on the way back and thought the same thing lol. Yeah the council had the claim on the rest of Louis creek which people could fossick in! Unfortunately prices seemed to have effected the councils interest as well 
This was the lower section of louie from the ford through to where the high voltage pylons cross the river … the best access has always been from the dirt road up the hill across the ford, then dropping down through a marked track to the start of the public fossicking area. This is where the best gold is, always has been, I know of one person who managed to find a half ounce nugget from the banks, and an unsubstantiated rumour of a nugget around 8 ounces found here close to 10 years ago (not an unbelievable size for this field, but a very uncommon find)
There is gold in the lower claim, Rotoiti Community Council, former ‘Friends of the Louis’, but it’s often described as ‘flyshit’ and you will have to dig down below your belt line in a big hole to get points of a gram.
This is sad because the story behind the ‘Friends of the Louis’ claim is one of families with historic connections to depression era mining in the area wanting the area saved from the fate that the Maud suffered, the ground turned over by heavy machinery and stripped of gold that could have been fossicked for over generations.
why it con i like going up ther so no fossicking up ther now ?
i waz up ther just a week a go
Just that the lower half jade! From the grown fossicking area down to the ford! Not that I’ve ever been down that bit but its a shame that prices for claims have got so high that they had to surrender it!!
So if you cross the Ford and go up the hill to the monument by the hut area, the track down to the creek is ok.
We are leaving Rotorua next week for our annual fossick and Louis is our favourite area.
Bit confused as the pylons cross Louis at two places.
Your fine it was just from the end of the crown fossicking area to the ford ! Which was the councils claim! I’m pretty sure permit map shows where it ends! Roughly !
It is a shame but merely an indication of the way this country is going. Only the wealthy can afford to have claims and the wee man like you, me and Mr Magoo is left out of the equation. It gives food to thought that there should maybe exist a ‘Miners Federation’ which levies its members a humble subscription annually and takes out claims which are basically public for a small fee or free to those subscription holders while those who do the hard yards on behalf of the other members get free subscription for the life of the claims they worked on on behalf of the members.
Initial subscription might be say $50 all of which is sunk into claim costs and annually say $10 being upkeep of claim and membership ticket for identification and postage. Public who wish to work it pay a daily fee, say $5 and get issued with a licence to work for a stipulated period. Any one found working without a membership card or licence be prosecuted as it is not fair on those who paid.
A list of members be circulated to all other members so that it is easy to police who are working it. Subscription would cover all claims held by the ‘Federation’ - In the end it could be quite a large organisation with many claims and therefore many places to go.
The only danger of course is that the sickos in government might cancel the Public Fossicking Areas though I doubt it as the members claims would in affect be private claims - that is owned by the members but available to the public for a small fee.
Just a thought - most of my thoughts are not worth a tinkers cuss but this one just might be.
Yeah a Federation Claim would be a nice idea.
Might be a nightmare with getting the claim though & Doc depending on where you go.
Also it might be completely drained of gold in short order, if you’ve got that many people going on it.
You’d have to pump a lot of the initial fees/subscriptions into a new claim.
Then you’ve got he time it takes for that to be approved & the risk of the application fee.
You’d need some where smart accountants to monitor the cost/profit closely. To ensure there are enough visitors coming through. And you’d need some very on to it people to scope out the next claim - along the lines of
- least trouble from Doc
- chances of NZPAM approval
- ease of access to visitors
- is the ground rich enough
Also you will have to police it
- you’ll have dodgy visitors
- conflicts between people & even Federation memebers, you’ll need rules and a disputes procedure and meeting.
There are not that many people who are really keen on gold and the Federation would hold many claims where members could fossick - hand held methods only.
Membership would be by subscription and plastic ID Membership cards issued which would have to be carried like a Car drivers licence when working on any of the claims - membership allows access to all claims.
It is not an exercise to make big money but merely to protect your right to have some where to actually go gold panning and sluicing so it does not need to be rich enough to make fortunes - after all the only places you have to go happen to be the Public Fossicking areas and they are not rich.
My idea merely gives a lot more places to go fossicking along the same lines as Public Fossicking Areas except it is by subscription - any joining fee after it was all set in place would be the same as the original costs to the foundation members and from then on an annual fee would apply merely to cover costs plus an account in which to bank in case of the unforeseen or for insurance purposes and claim fees.
The officers of the Federation - a Treasurer and Secretary might be required to keep track of things and to form filling out etc - their fees would be wavered in recognition of the work they do.
The public could work there as I earlier said in exchange for a daily or weekly fee - that money would go into Federation coffers to help pay costs…and eventually set up new claims.
All claims would be easily accessible and none taken out in country that was accessible to the select few.
There are not thousands and thousands of keen fossickers out there so I dont envisage hoards getting trampled in the rush! I own land where there is a great deal of gold and yet my only trouble is with pig shooting poachers and not budding gold fossickers.
maybe a couple of adds in newspapers in potential areas to gauge interest. there aren’t a lot of members here that either cant afford (that’s me included) or show inclination towards starting a claim so maybe need to spread the word a bit wider. brilliant idea though lammerlaw.
Yes a great idea Lammerlaw and co ,sign me up!..lol.
This of course could be all website based with each member having a membership number to print out after paying their annual subscription to be presented onsite if need be.Foundation members with admin rights and Passwords
Visitors both local and international could purchase a fossicking licience which gives them a password that allows access to website page or App detailing access points,health and safety info,disclaimers,locations and descriptions where to dig on set claims(unlike fossicking areas which is pot luck)with set rules and regs etc.Which they would have to except.Making it easier to admin/insurance etc.
Say adults $40 and kids $15 and App expires after a month if not renewed.(Most vistors are only here for 3-4 weeks in NZ)
A good way of funding purchases for new claims or taking over existing claims from claim owners finding it hard to afford to renew their claim fees.
Would definitely increase the number of fossicking areas in NZ which would be a good thing and help avoid losing public claim areas like Louis Creek example.
Definitely food for thought.
Hey all my ideas are brilliant but most are like a candle and fizzle out after a while - it needs a good organizer to carry them through - I can give ideas and directions but someone needs to follow up on them. When it came to the actual organizing I cant even organize a booze up in a brewery.
Sounds good, I hope it gets off the ground.
sounds a great idea., a lot of problem solving but should work. along the lines of the 49ers in the states
Well it needs someone with organizing skills to do it - I dont need to as I am happy walking out my back door with a pan and panning a few colours but few are that lucky.
sorry not for me… I tried the idea a few years back when I tried inviting a group to buy into my claim on a share expenses etc when it came down to it everyone was all talk
I the same as you lammerlaw I just need to walk out my back door with a pan and rifle