The NZ Goldpanning Championships will be held on Saturday 24th April in Arrowtown. We are
currently looking at a higher profile venue, but not confirmed yet. So either Butler Green as usual or the
Library Green opposite Fork and Tap.
We are looking forward to seeing you there competing amongst the best gold panners in the country and
catching up with old friends.
9.30am - Registration starts. Ends between 11.30am and 12pm depending on entries.
10.00am Heats will start and run through till finished, then break for lunch
2.00pm āStake your Claimā
2.30pm Team Event
3.00pm Category Finals, then NZ Champion.
4.00pm Prizegiving.
Entry fees will be the same as 2020: $15 for the first entry per person and each subsequent entry $10.
Every competitor will receive a souvenir gold pottle containing a few flakes of gold as a memento.
We always need help with set up and break down, so if you would be able to help please let us know.
Even just hang around at the end to help us get home before dark! Many hands make light work
Sitting down at smoko today having a look at this site,was heading south in morning and came across this? Never ever heard of such a thing. Nz gold panning championship WTF. Immediately I lost interest in my paid job got on phone and and in the best husband voice I can muster, asked my wife if we could leave in the the afternoon because we that way we could see the sunset from Bruce bay which I sold as a great idea. Luckily Iām a good salesman when I want to be and she agreed( best wife ever). Sitting in wanaka ready to get my pan on. Iāve never tried for speed but any tips much appreciated. Think Iāve got thisš.
See you in the morning 
How did you go Lepresean are you heading to Oz ? , was there a good turnout ? .
Hi thanks for asking it was another great event with unprecedented entrants meaning more gravel had to be sent for and it ran a little over time. It was really nice to have a quick talk with Allan Hamilton and to see him pan, he is in his 90s now and is still active in the woolshedā¦to see John and Margret May who helped with the competition in itās early daysā¦and many othersā¦I like to think when I go to things like this I have shaken the hands that have shaken the hands of the old timerāsā¦this year was itās 30th yearā¦my 26th. I will not be heading to the west Island unfortunatelyā¦ Official results can be seen at New Zealand Goldpanning Redirecting...
Really gd event,well worth the drive. Thanks for putting it on as these things take a lot effort and time and it was most appreciated.
360 days training time left, 1 of those hot plate pans and I reckon I could give it a real goš
Cheers
I am happy to hear it was worth the drive. I only enter each category once and cross my fingers unless I am certain to have lost most of the gold and may enter`twice and will usually only ever use my big metal double skinned pan from Ballarat. I have no roll setting up the event other than that of competitor and occasional hecklerā¦the people that run it are the Gatward-frerguson crew of Nomad safaris and many others such as the Lind and the Ide family who have been on the scene for many years and also the Otago GoldFields Heritage Trust. One day we should have Team Paydirt enter 
What happened there?
No bottle,only the little business card with 5 to 6 gold flakes on it
Back in the early days of the competition the gold used to be donated, then the gold was purchased and not always uniform in sizeā¦the amount of gold being used increased as the event grew and with the current high prices meant the event had to cover the cost of close to an ounce so it was decide to have it manufactured to a consistent size and weight in 18ct gold and all of the gold recovered back meaning more money was available to increase the main cash prize and also have better minor prizes. the card is more convenient for tourists too when they come back who may not want to carry a bottle. Cards are also used in overseas competitions 
Then you should not have advertised a pottle!
Not that it matters.
Everyone that entered has gold of thier own.
Not a single one was a novice.
Even my friend who won the āhave a goā section had 4-5 grams of her own from the arrow
Save the money and put it towards prizes-the card printing probably cost as much as the gold!
Geez fella- Take a chill pill. Lepre volunteered his own time and energy to help organise goldpanning champs during testing times and all you do is moan about your gold in your pottle etc.
Newsflash champ but the world doesnāt revolve around you or your sense of self entitlement
Hes doing you a favour mate otherwise the event woudnt happen. Instead of moaning and cristising how about being at least slightly grateful and humble.
Thanks Lepre was a well organised event and being a novice panner im pleased it went well. Looking forward to next years event
Cheers Glenda Shaw
Well Glenda Shaw,
Get iff your high horse.
False advertising is false advertising no matter what the cause.
And before you berate me any more Im the ONLY ONE who stayed behind to help Karl empty those panning troughs of gold/gravel and water.
Everyone else that stayed was part of the organization.
I was tge only member of the public/competitors that saw an old fella doing the hard yards by himself,and stepped up to help.
Im not saying this ir doing that to for recognition,like the heritage site says-many hands make light work.
I was shocked that everyone took off.
I stayed till it was all done n dusted.
I got my enjoyment out of the event by watching some top notch panners and having a go(after Justin convinced me to enter)
Ive been panning for 6 years(at that time) and only my time on the arrow with any decent pieces so i took alot away from that event.
I gave back what little i could,as did quite a few of the long time contestants.
Sorry if you misinterpreted what i wrote but i wont be beratted by anyone for this
I am amused that you say that you wont he berated by anyone. How quaint. If they do it then they do it.
Not much you can do about it.
You do seem to come across to me as Arrowtowns expert and a martyr to the cause however you are right about the pottle of gold.
It is false advertising if they stated a āpottleā - that is what you got it when you go to Shantytown.
As for what l take to be āmanufactured 18ct goldā l dont understand that as theres a vaste amount of very fine gold in the Arrow and it should be easy enough to get enough sufficient to mount say ten flakes into a card the size and strength of a credit card. I remember getting a quarter ounce of such fine gold in less than half an hour in the Arrow back in 1972. Purely flood hold but easy won.
Maybe things have changed a great deal since then and it doesnt exist like that there now. I remember that the river bed at the town end of the golf course was littered with a lot of mercury amalgam as well which l had fun collecting.
Hi mate, the manufactured gold is used in the competitions, but every entrant does get a card with a few flakes of Arrow goldā¦
Donāt be so SELF RIGHTEOUS 
, many of the participants are not local and maybe have their own safety to attend to such as getting to and setting up camp, and have helped out over the yearsā¦my addled memory from after finding the reef 
was that most that could stayed behind and emptied the water from the tubs which was asked of us all to help with it is a bit of a traditionā¦back at the start of the event we used to pan some of the gold and have a bit of fun. How long after did you stay behind? Until Stu Ide finished what he was doing, sure he loved your personable companyā¦eh Bloody GREEN HORNz these daysā¦ come in for 5 min and think they are all gangsta likeā¦LOL Anyway this user is suspended so there is no point ever reacting to them(gender neutral pronoun)