Hi Mike!
Good luck with it! I’m in a similar mode. Currently near Murchison learning the ropes, and hoping to end up with a pocketful of gold. Where are you?
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What about the share market then 
You framed it as a money problem originally which is probably why you got replies with ideas for making money
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Some people have made more than ‘constant and decent money’ dredging and just fossicking around and right now I can name three.
and I daresay there will be more.
Generally speaking they are ‘wise’ people and say nothing on this site though I know that one of them reads every post but does not contribute comments.
In the only summer I ever kept a hint of a record I averaged 3.83 grams per hour.
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Take me back take me back… 3 grams per hour today would be bloody awesome. Iv gone for broke the last 3 seasons on patchy ground. Had good and bad, but learnt more everyday. Its not just about the ground Iv found, a major player is the efficiency of which you can work at, how big the rocks are, how fast is the current, how good is the equipment and on and on it goes. Thats dredging, but I assume the same thing applies no matter the method. End of yhe day those that think they are just going to start digging and do well are dreaming, they will either get very lucky or learn the hard way… no matter its a gamble and end of the day the only way to find out is to dig dig dig… thats my thoughts anyhow
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Just realised by commenting Im not that wise going by Lammerlaws thinking and hes probably spot on 
Exactly everything is a gamble, and the more i read and learn the more I find I don’t know, but there is always at least two ways to skin a cat, I didnt say i had financial problems, I said I didnt have enough money to buy a house outright. In the north island a house is 800k. But I have half of it. I could take all that money that I would have used on fees and equipment and finding someone to come and work / run the mine properly (utilizing me as a driver or cook and toilet cleaner.) and buy SMI at NZ1.12 and let the pro’s do all the work. that’s why im asking, I may be repetitive… I’m searching for my future,!! Its great to hear of someone hitting 3.83 grams an hour, I want a lot more than that and I want it 8 hours a day 6 days of the week or longer. This is why I headed the thread pro gold mining for profit.
Gday, Im in the Waikato, close to the old gold fields at Te Aroha and stamper units 20 mins from here. You say learning the ropes, so your working in gold mining or fossicking /
I didnt say i had financial problems, I said I didnt have enough money to buy a house outright. In the north island a house is 800k. half a house or a gold operation ?? hmm
Dreams are free man sometimes they work like wishes don’t tell anyone and they might come true 
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Hi
Adding my two cents with what im finding out so far is…
I’m still in the set up phase so not there yet.
Im looking at close to 20 months now for a teir 2 permit on a new claim.
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Set up time is a lot longer than expected and you’ll need something to do while you wait. Govt departments are not the private sector so they don’t have the sence of urgency to get things done.
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Although not causing me any trouble but the cost is more than expected, ie equipment, time, traveling ect. Its good to have new equipment. Dont waste time with gear that bearly works. You dont want to be doing repairs all the time. I’d hoped to be mining well before now but still a wee way off.
Hope this gives you some indication of whats somewhat involved.
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So you want more than $400 an hour? You want more than $3200 for an eight hour day? Dont want much do you? I can show you photos of what I understand was 35 ounces a DAY - no not my claims - Did they get rich? No they didnt because they had to run plant and plant breaks down and maintenance is high.
Now some members of this forum have visited me and have seen these photos so can vouch for them - pudding plates on the breakfast table full of ‘rice bubbles’
If you are going to spend $400,000 being half the cost of a North Island house then your best to go somewhere where you can get gold AND a cheap property and start small.
My goldmining interests back in the day were NOT a gamble - gold was guaranteed but not the same amount each day. Everything is NOT a gamble…its knowledge and know how, its planning organization and its hard work.
At the moment we have two claims - but I am getting too old for it now - even Priscilla of the tussocks is getting old and decrepit!
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One of our claims has amazing dredge potential but we dont have a dredging consent - it is for detecting only that we have it BUT I cannot fucking well walk out to it now as DC fucking C (Dunedin Cum Consumers) will not allow us to have access through their land. For anyone who can walk five ks there and back it could be good - two Paydirt members were given directions by me and went out there detecting and got 15 grams for a day trip each I understand. I dont guide people out there now as it is claimed by four of us.
Oh and keep an eye on the media as they want to do an article about DCCs treatment of us!
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Good luck with that. I am getting the feeling you are a bit of a dreamer. You & Pax should hook up.
JW 
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my dreams can come true though,can yours?
good luck to you scratching in the river. I want a business not a hobby.
Thanks very much for a sensible answer. I have an income to carry me through 5 years. if i didnt I wouldnt be thinking about it.
Thanks Billy, yup biggest lesson ive seen is maintenance and down time. I naively sent an email to Minequip asking about a new 1200 Xpl trommel. Looking at the page for it…im thinking 60-70k maybe 80 NZ … email came back a few days later 132k US. looking at $216000 NZ! .I guess you pay for the security of no down time. but thats all just info for big picture costs. im not off buying one or anything.
Its a gamble if you dont know the first thing about goldmining
Haha ur starting to sound like a real winner, dreams are good but putting them in action and hard work i rate better something you might struggle with oh thats right your willing to cook and clean the toilets 
im often out scratching around on a creek its a shame its not your style me u and your 4 hundred thousand could of had a dig
Everything started as a dream