not doing any for 2 weeks and i have a under water dredge that is good for testing that sort of thing call me on 0272280660
Sadly I made a promise not to share some photos I have here that might hint as to where or who of a modern day gold discovery on the West Coast not too far from Notown. The person in question told us where you can pan 2 ounces a day. He was getting 35 ounces a day from their claim I understand and the photos I have here are truly amazing. They were using machinery. He is dead at the moment but the gold he was getting was totally unreal for most. If I can find them I might put up one part of one photo showing the days washup in a riffle box.
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Hi Lammerlaw
If you should run into that guy who is dead at the moment could you please ask him to get in touch. I need his old claim number.
And on another subject was that you I saw following at the back of JW new tee shirt he just got for fathers day. Youâve been spying on him havenât you. You sneaky bugger. 
Cheers
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I had thought of going over to where I think the 2 ounces a day spot is. I did a round the South Island camping trip a few years ago and know that I camped awful close to where the spot is but have not been there again. It is on the West Coast and near Ahaura. However the gold from his claim is long gone as they had heavy machinery in there and tore up the farm - all because he found gold while digging a post hole so the story goes!
At Totara Flat when I lived there a guy named Yakkity Yak probably because he talked to much used to go up onto the terrace at Granville Forest I think it is called every Friday and panned half an ounce which he apparently donated to the Reefton Working Mens Club I think its called from memory and they raffled it. He was only away for an hour or so to so he must have had a good wee lead. That was fifty years ago.!
Just ten minutes ago saw the first photo I ever saw of where I lived - brought back memories. Under the ground there there will be more gold than you could ever dream of.
I am pretty certain I could identify JWs spot but that is his spot and best of luck to him. I am so slow now days that even if he is detecting he would still be too fast to follow. It is an interesting thing gold. They say that it is where you find it. JW travels a wee way to go detecting and yet he, like me, knows that there is great gold in his backyard. Some of the nicest gold I have seen for a long time comes from a wee secret spot very close to where he lives but once again that spot is for another person, the person who found it.
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In September 1969 I along with me mate took my 1939 MGTA (it was not flash) from Wellington over to Picton, then down to Chch. On over the Lewis and happened to pass the smallest pub Iâd come across at that stage. The Totara Flat. We parked in the stock yard next door and being underage but on the Coast stopped for a pint or two⌠Carried on to Greymouth for the night the headed to Westport next day.
About Fox River and no seal on the road in those days I put a rock through the sump. Waited about 3 hours for someone to come along and beg a tow. This was all fine as the deer culler had an Austin Westminster. The problem arose when we hooked up the short tow rope and I mean short.
Now an MGTA at a streach is 1.2m in width and the Austin Westminster was about 2.4m and much higher.
So off we go with the deer culler driving flat out like heâs forgotten about us behind. Of course the next problem was I could not see which way the road went, left -right -up- down with this bad arse car about a metre and a half in front of me. Also being the West Coast the road was wet so we was getting all this mud and crap thrown up onto my windscreen which the wipers couldnât handle.
The meant that I had grab a shirt or something and with one hand wipe the windscreen continuously while steering with the other.
Well we finally made Westport but I was bloody nervous wreck. It would have been the scariest car trip Iâve ever done. Got the sump welded and headed to Nelson. The next event of course was the upper Buller River and only a year after the Inangahua earthquake we had to follow D8âs through the earthworks.
Anyway we made it to Picton and broke down there so had to push the MG onto the ferry and get towed home at the other end.
Quiet trip but I never forget the Totara Flat Pub.
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The Totara Flat pub was the Heather Bell - Mum and Bud Evertson (Everson?) owned it. My first day I went in and asked for a bottle of Brew 22 - they asked what that was - I told them it was Waikato. âWe dont have thatâ - oh bugger. I asked for a bottle of DB - âWe dont have thatâ - I asked for a bottle of Speights - âWe dont have thatâ I asked for a bottle of Harleys Beer - âWe dont have thatâ
Well I had run out of the names of beer so asked, âWhat do you haveâ
'Westbrew" was the reply. Well I had never heard of it so asked them what else they had - âNothingâ
I learnt to like Westbrew. Never forgotten Vita Stout - open it and hit the bottom of the bottle with a washer and theres nothing left to drink - it gushed out like an elephant having an orgasm or similar to a dark brown geyser.
You just missed saying gidday to me - I went there in December 1969!. I remember the bar had a sort of a tilt to it back then and I assumed that an Earthquake or something had done it a mischief - or maybe the piles sank. The owners wife had her own seat at one end of the bar and heaven help anyone who sat in it.
At Totara Flat this ignorant arsehole in a fancy car came into the pub. Well everyone thought he was the most obnoxious prick out. I had to go for a pee and his car was parked right up against the toilet which was a rough affair and had an open sort of gap so I peed over the top to piddle over his bonnet. I couldnt do that now!
I decided to go there for a nostalgia drink when I went over about 2005 but it had closed.
I broke down once in my Morris 1100 at Evansdale north of Dunedin and phoned a mate who had a Falcon. He was slightly over the top when he answered the phone but he came to tow me back to Dunedin. Well he tied the Morris on behind and away he went. I was terrified as he was doing 80 - and that was miles per hour and not ks. I had my foot on the brake all the way but it made no difference and when we stopped at home the brakes were red hot and clouds of smoke.
That 1939 MG would be a great car to have now.
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Yeap the MGTA was may second car. Turns out MG only made 3003 of them. First car of course was the Modal A sedan. Iâd take me mates out country and many a time everyone would get out of the car as we were driving down the road including me and steer the car from the running boards. Hand throttle by the steering wheel to control speed. Guys hanging off the roof bonnet etc great fun.
Parked the MG up in the old mans garage when I went off to the Pibara in WA to work in 1970 and came home for a holiday one Xmas and was told in no uncertain terms to get rid of it as he was moving house. So short of time to advertise it I sold it to a mate for $70.
You win some you lose some - such is life.
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My first three vehicles were all Landrovers - just as well - I drove into three cars in my first year of owning a vehicle and wrote all three off. My driving was diabolical. My first day owning a vehicle was almost a disaster as me and three mates decided to go for a trip - I got fifteen miles from home and one of my cobbers said we were going the wrong way so I looked at the map and we sure were going the wrong way - after I looked at the map - as the Landrover shot off the road, went through the farmers fence and shot out into his paddockâŚnow that IS going the wrong way. Another ten miles down the road at Lake Mahinerangi I went off the road again and into the bank.
After only one year and after paying for my repairs AND three vehicles for the people I hit the IOA or Insurance Office of Australia didnt want to know me!
Going by my own record I am a great advocate that no one should get a driving licence until they are at least Fifty!
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