Some people are just plain dumb and destructive !
A lot of newbies out there. Often encouraged by those posting video content that is often misleading in regards to gold that can be obtained in the public fossicking areas so they themselves can chase the social media dollars on offer. See the same surge of amateurs every gold spike cycle. Amazing this time though the numbers at popular spots like the arrow. Most give it a shot then leave. The odd one stays and goes large scale. Take the fella that lived in the bushes just above the town a few summers back. Cleared out the river bank to bank. That is turn attracted even more people to rework the edges of the same spot thinking the scale of it meant there was âbig goldâ there. I suspect the slab creek incident is a repeat of this. One guy or guy or guys has gotten carried away thus attracting more people to same said spot, creating a localised gold rush. If only diggers used some initiative and ventured further than the first sight of water from their camp or vehicle and spread out over the ground allocated. In regards to digging in the banks, most of the time itâs just Karenâs in the dark of the facts that get on there high horse n environmental views. They donât realise a good flood will erode any sign of digging. I wonder who ran to the media? If it was a big dig why wasnât it sorted earlier considering doc staff must have seen it in progress every day they went to the campgrounds.
Yes gold fever in bloom!
There does seem to be a lack of good information around rules and regulations. That goes for fossicking and claims. Iv struggled to find a good source of guidelines around what is allowed on a claim other than the basics that are permitted under the contract. Would be great to actually have a government information platform where you could ask questions and get clear answers. For instance if I was wanting to sluice on a fossicking area, what are the dimensions allowed for a sluice box? Can I use a cradle? Are winches allowed? etc
On a claim, am i allowed to use a hose to wash down material inside the streambed? Am i allowed to erect a toolshed? Can I dam up the creek and is there dimensions to that, height/length? etc etc.
If there is a place we can already ask these things, where is that? It just seems like the info is lacking big time and our options fall to the goodwill of fellow miners which at the end of the day isnt always going to be 100% and leads to people doing the wrong thing and in turn some doing dumb shit and some getting into trouble for it. I think there could definitely be a better system.
Human greed knows no bounds.
Gosh, I found this straight away. Google is your friend.
It also comes down to common sense. You kind of know the boundaries between hobby gold fossicking & then getting into more serious stuff that requires permits etc & the domain of more commercial operations taking your practices beyond having a small play on a fossicking/hobby scale. There are many public areas that have DOC camp grounds where you can stay on sites.
I will also add this.
JW 
Thereâs usually a big sign at the DoC Public Fossicking spots explaining the rules⌠at least there used to be. I remember seeing them at a few fossicking areas I visited.
I think people like to play on the edge of ignorance, on purpose, when it comes to the rules & regulations. There really are no excuses these days for whatâs right & whatâs wrong. People these days are also so computer & tech savvy that it is dead easy to find out all you need to know. Shit, if I can do it, anybody can do it. But I guess that is what gold does to some people. Like I said before, human greed knows no bounds.
JW
I was talking to a local DOC track worker. He said he not least bit bothered by workings in creek. Itâs when they damage his hard work that he gets pissed off.
Also a big concern for me is that all this madness goes into the " this is why we need to ban gold fossicking" file. You know the powers that be love taking away our rights. Just look at what has occurred in Australia and the U.S. More regulations.
Thats great JW and yes I have googled and read through NZPAMS etc, but these guildlines are not what I was trying explain. These guidelines dont cover questions like my examples and there dosnt seem to be a designated contact that will actually answer questions like In my examples. An example is the toolshed. Iv asked around many forums on this topic after being told it is allowed to have a small toolshed onsite (on a claim). Yet nobody seems to know if its true. So who do we ask? I couldnât find anyone official who could tell me.
Toolshed type questions wouldnât be up to NZPAM to answer, thatâs more to do with arrangements you make with the landowner, be that DoC, LINZ or the private landowner where the mining claim lies.
Its fossicking. Having a bit of a play around. Why would you want to erect a tool shed?
Read my first post. I was talking about claims in regards to a toolshed/lock-up. Id erect one if i could because theres a lot more theiving pricks out there these days, (just as an example).
Gavin has given you the answer. Claim wise, becomes a private property matter with the land owner & what he is ok with.
JW
I didnt ask for an answer. It was an example of a question. The fact that Gavin didnt really know (although I think he was probably spot on) who I could go to to ask the question just confirmed my thought that it would be good if there was an administration (authority)we could ask questions to and get clear answers.
Anyway, thats my input, was just putting a suggestion out there for better communication around rules and regulation.
My 2c worth: the rules are pretty clear already, and employing someone to answer questions will not change the fact that some people are messy ostriches
Well I give up. Seems everyone seems to know all about it.
Its not hard. Fossicking equals hand tools only within banks. You can look up sluice dimensions. What you do beyond banks is between you and the land owner
From what I have gathered about sluice box dimensions is that yes there are mentions of certain sizes & also in some DOC public fossicking areas are on the signage. But I donât really think they are too anal on it as long as you behave yourself & donât go digging into the river banks, causing added man made erosion which the next natural flood will eat into. As in the start & reason of this post. People being naughty which could lead to free fossicking areas being shut down & becoming a forbidden activity. Now we donât want that do we? Enough freedoms are being taken away from us already. The reality of these areas is that you are not going to quit your day job & make a living from raping these areas. Its about hanging out with a few mates. Enjoying camping in the outdoors. Having a few beers & talking a bit of shit & having a few giggles. Any gold found is really just a bonus.
JW
Yep a fair bit of mining going on not fossiking,but cant blame them i guess with the price of gold nowadays