Arrow River Fossicking Area

If by “permit” you mean the permit granted to QLDC as a public fossicking area operator then i am very familiar with the area.

I have walked up and down that entire public fossicking area for 7 months starting in nov 2020 and ending in april tjis year -one week before the big snow dump occured.

Ive worked just about every promising spot,including the only 4 bedrock areas accessible, and just about every other mediocre spot in between.

One other person and i diverted the course of the river along the walkway just up from tobins bridge(about 500m up from memory)

The closet the shops get is in ramsgate lane by both sets of dunnys

I think that puts that to rest but why dont you contact the gold shop in arrowtown, or gold n gumboots,all the staff there know me.

Or even a few if the locals,no name dropping.
Most of them were at the nationals too.

You should recognize this spot but now its ALL underwater compliments of the flood in may

Have a look at the permit map either on nzpam or here for info related to the claims surrounding Arrowtown fossicking area…was a nice reef…and I never said it was in the public fossicking area :money_mouth_face:

1 Like

Thete are only 4 ckaims from the kauwerau river to macetown and up passed macetown.

Sew Hoy to around tobins bridhe,qldc from there to just up from norman spencer/smith bridge,pelorus trust for quite a way past that then a partnership from there up.

I checked google maps and know know where bush creek is.

Its “near” the shops?
Closet shops are the cafe,bike hire ,art gallery opposite butler green.

And that “first river crossing” is NOT the arrow river-that is actually bush creek and is the vehicle access to the arrow river/macetown track and it has a pedestrian bridge by the good dunnys.

It also runs close by the chinese village.

That creek doesnt join the arrow until its past the township.

Ive never bothered mining there but most of the tourists go there parallel to the arrow cause its easy.
Technically its outside the public fossicking area but nobody gives a dam.

All this is from memory but i will go to the permit map later

And now ive checked the permit map its christopher pritchard mining

Bush creek is the very first river crossing you go through on the way to Macetown at Butlers Green. It has a permit on it I think by a member on this forum.

Many non 4wds attempt it and become stuck or at least they used to when their were lots of tourists and rental cars - Always a laugh

3 Likes

Dont know why.

There are roads in akl with pothole full of water bigger than that ford (except in flood)

You can cycle through it most of the time and if you have gummies can walk through without getting wet.

Its only further up at the first compulsory crossing of the arrow that people come unstuck

I watched some young dickhead in a little 3 door hatchback rip his sump out just past the jack tewa monument at 02:00hours!

While a Ram eats Utes for breakfast the Arrow eats any vehicle for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

1 Like

I have seen a near new Holden sedan up at Macetown - that was about 1977.

1 Like

"I have walked up and down that entire public fossicking area for 7 months starting in nov 2020 and ending in april tjis year -one week before the big snow dump occured.

Ive worked just about every promising spot,including the only 4 bedrock areas accessible, and just about every other mediocre spot in between."

(In my best Sean Connery) Soooo…you know I really don’t think that the fossicking permit was really designed for people to stay on them for months and months at a time…that’s not fossicking you no, really it’s more like methodically mining a small public claim in a fashion I can only describe as rip shit and bust with no regard for the environment and a mine site of strew rocks with unwashed gold bearing clay adhered to erratic piles of tailings :money_mouth_face: and shows an attitude and mindset of not really thinking out of the box and not at all creative and adventurous now really is it noo…? A bit selfish too would you not agree no? And in such a large wee island ya could nay think of anywhere else ta go? I am sure you were a hit with the Locals though aye and I will be asking around as to the locals opinion on yourself as it probably differs from your imaginary account any way happy hunting :crazy_face:

2 Likes

Question for the experts. So I’ve dug a 1m+ deep hole. Mud is sticking to rocks so I figure the spot hasnt been dug for a while. I’m now into thick black sand. It’s very sticky bit no gold in it. Will gold keep travelling down through this stuff? In other words do I keep digging. I’m pulling schist rather than round stones out of the hole.

At best the Arrow is just flood gold (small & flakey gold) & so not very deep. You need to keep in mind that back in the gold rush days there were hundreds of miners with their claim boundaries backing on to each other all the way up the river. So the ground was quickly turned over from bank to bank & as they were doing it for a living they would have been very thorough & we know how rich it was.
To dig a meter hole is a big effort for bugger all IMHO unless you want a good workout with the high risk of rock jamming a finger or two.
Best bet is to go after a bit of a flood & just shovel/bucket in to a sluice box & enjoy the day, the sand fly’s & the process. Any gold just a bonus. :slightly_smiling_face:

JW :cowboy_hat_face:

2 Likes