Hi all, me and my son are heading to Tapanui Otago, hope to pan a bit of color, any tips on area’s or private clam’s that we can have a play in, Has anyone tried Gabriels Gully in Lawrence and have some info were the best area is to pan (creek bed or creek banks or tailings ect) any info or contact would be great. We are down there on the 20th to the 28th
Cheers Brett
There is a Public Mining Area at Gabriels Gully and yes you can actually find something there but generally only fine gold. A lot of hard work required and it does get a thrashing. I do know a friend of mine goes there now and again and camps nearby and can come home with a gram or two BUT he knows where to go exactly, is methodical and knows what he is doing. You might do better trying a few wee pans OUT OF CRACKS and CREVICES on the Tokomariro about the vicinity of Munuka Gorge. Just park in lay bys in the gorge itself. I notice quite a few cars parked there nearly every time I go through and wonder what they are up to - only three choices 1) Checking the crop! 2) Nefarious activities with the opposite sex…hmm or maybe the same sex 3) Looking for gold!
If you could travel via Lindis Pass then the Lindis is the best bet for a few colours but I dont know if its claimed now - or the Arrow is marvellous - a Tiki tour does no one any harm.
Cheers m8 maybe you could squeeze more info out of your mate as to were he pans from, we were going to camp a night or two up there as well, I’ll google the other spots you mentioned as well.
He has his ‘wee favourite spot’ I understand and I think that when he leaves he covers it up so that he can continue from where he has left off when he goes back next. Sufficient to say that should you concentrate working down through the gravels of the stream you might do ok.
have a look at this site
In the 1970s I got good gold where the Mt Stuart reserve is including nuggety pieces - of course every man and his horse and dog will have scratched around since then but I bet I could go there today and find far more than I would at Gabriels gully. It is not a public fossicking area but a sneak up or down the creek shouldnt be noticed and anyone who would say anything would be a pretty miserable specimen of sub intellectual humanity.
Thanks your a wealth of info, what you doing next week lol
Going gold fossicking and hunting next week not all that far form where I pointed out but on my own place…IF the weathers fine!
sounds great, was going to bring my gun, but are over weight with all my gear now, I went to piano flats last year just for a drive took the rental car to the top and on the way back down saw 2 deer, had a great feed at the Waikaia pub. my son has friends at winton he rides bmx at the farm jam each year not sure if there is gold creeks around that area but the hunting is good on there farm,any way you never know we might bump into you up a creek sometime.
Cheers Brett
Waikaia has many places to pan a few colours - I have a friend who frequents there a fair bit. Hardly likely to bump into me up any creeks anywhere as my activities are restricted to my own place and I have no need to go elsewhere. it is years since I last looked for gold other than on my own place. Up to about five years ago I sued to do my annual pilgrimage for a fortnight rabbit shooting and fossicking up in the Lindis and prior to that the Arrow in the 1970s. Good luck though - do your research well and you never know what you might find.
There is gold close to Timaru as well up the North branch of the Waihao River at Kaiwarua and also across in the Maerawhenua but I think most of that is claimed now and somewhat controversially so as it was a popular area to fossick and also had a considerable amount of fine gold - somewhere around I still have a bottle with gold from there…
hi lammerlaw
funny you should point out timaru as I sighted a map 1906 in the weekend that indicated that there was gold between pleasant point and cave. there is also burkes pass
Hi Keith - never looked for gold there - Spent a bit of time around cave - I was always scared the roof of the hotel at Cave would fall in on my head after all wouldnt it be the 'Cave Inn’
My rock and mineral collection started at Cave when I was a little fella - my aunty picked up a piece of pertified wood there - I still have it to this day.
Not far from there I used to go to get Fossil Sharks teeth…I was oging to have them made into dentures - I dont think. I got two over two inches - fifty millimeters for most of you) long…must go back to that Fossial Sharks tooth spot one day - there are two in two completely different formations within sight of each other
As for Pleasant point its not a bad place - you dont blink when your driving through it as you will miss it.
Pleasant point looks a bit far for this trip, hoping to hang around south Otago, may get some black sand off gem stone bay beach as well as look for some nice stones. Lammerlaw do you allow the odd fossic with pan and sluice box on your place sounds great spot
Cheers Brett
Not now unless it is reciprocal as I have been taken advantage of by too many users and now my son has his set of friends beside my own. This weekend there will be seven of us there pottering and five of us were members of the old Paydirt forum. Find me antique guns and ammo and you never know we might have a deal! You can send me private message. I am thinking of putting my place onto the Holiday Homes or Rent a Bach sites with the idea in mind of charging $100 a night for a family so they can go tramping, have a hunt, or pan a mint a minute.
no wories m8, I was a member of paydirt forum years back but forgot my username and old email so got this new account, the rent a bach is a bit of me when you are set to go ,I have a farm in the Hokianga up north and I rent my bach out for the odd person to stay for fishing and pig hunting i use the koha system and find most people leave more than i would charge lol, I do have a few old guns one is a french made 222 still shoots as straight as a die, I will message you and keep in touch. for the next trip down.
Cheers Brett
Well it sound as though a reciprocal arrangement could be made - get in touch. Give me your cell phone number will send a text. Maybe even this trip down something could be arranged as I will still be in South Island hopefully on the dates you here. I was in Wellsford the other day! I did not realize that you live a longish way away - I thought maybe Oamaru or Timaru - being further away does make a difference as it will not be often you really get the chance for gold so maybe we can give you the chance to take something home a bit better than flakes…no promises though as the elusive stuff does not jump out at ya.
Lot of people wondering where to go. Someone could do quite well with a GOLD Tour or Guide type buisseness down south. Maybe - does sound like hard work tho.
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There you go come and start a business - not for me - I am lazy and unreliable and live in the North Island!
I had a tour business up here called Wild trek adventures, I would take 4-6 people on a 5 day tour around the top of the North Island camping, fishing and sight seeing, I did it for 5 odd years only in the summer months, i did a few snow trips but not many. it was a all inclusive package accommodation, breakfast and dinner, had a great time, I could see a great package deal could be done, as there are a lot of people just like me with Gold fever lol
I am one of those people who like to keep options open - pack up and head for the tall timber on a whim and be a free agent. I can see the advantages in what you are saying but just not for me. I did once think of buying an Army Unimog and taking gold field trips to places like Macetown but too much red tape bureaucracy and far too much hard work…I am only marking time until I wake up dead and I want to do it in the most relaxed, lazy and fun way possible.
A business like that means commitment, schedules and organisational skills and I couldnt organise a booze up in a brewery!
know were your coming from m8, relaxed, lazy and fun should be the 3 laws of life lol