Queenstown lakes Metal detecting

Coil Swingers Locations
1

Hey everyone my partner and I are new to metal detecting.
We had an encounter with one person down at the lake which made me go to the council to get a permit or some sort of paperwork saying we were allowed to detect on the beach.

The Qldc offic in wanaka told me that metal detecting isnt allowed on queenstown lakes public land at all, only private property.

Is this really the case? Has anyone got anymore insight into this? Seems a bit insane not being able to dig sand and then fill the holes in again especially when youre cleaning up all the litter you find in the process
Cheers

2

As far as I know there are no specific laws re metal detecting in NZ however it seems that several councils will just take a blanket approach and refer to the various Acts about parks and reserves. For example this one Reserves Act 1977 No 66 (as at 23 December 2023), Public Act 105B Unauthorised actions in reserves – New Zealand Legislation
Whether they have jurisdiction on any beach below high water mark is another thing and if so then all children will have to stop digging sand castles immediately…

3

There in lies the problem. A lot of people don’t bother filling in their holes. It only takes a few to ruin it for every body else. Just easier for the council to say NO.

JW :cowboy_hat_face:

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4

So I recieved an email back pretty quickly from QLDC.
" This query would be best directed to LINZ as they control the land you are describing, not QLDC"

Sent an email to LINZ and ill see what they say.

5

I suggest you stop searching for a law that stops you doing what you want to do, because you’ll definitely find one!

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6

Basically there are two things to manage. a) Don’t damage public grounds. b) Don’t upset anyone

Some tips to help you achieve both
1 Fill in all holes
2 Remove all rubbish you dig up
3 Remove some of the non-metal rubbish you didn’t dig up (so you are leaving the place tidier than you found it)
4 Don’t dig on any sports fields if they are dry, if they are being used, or if they will be used in the next few weeks
5 Don’t detect between 8am and 5pm weekdays
6 Detecting on a miserable wet day is much better than detecting on a fine day when lots of people are about
7 Wear headphones so you’re not making a racket

And remember rule one… Fill in all holes

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7

Cheers for the advice.

Might just drop it then, we probably just got unlucky bumping into the one person that wanted to stir the pot at 8pm on a monday.

Probably just going to avoid parks and grass alltogether just to avoid any chance of anyone getting upset.

8

“You environmental vandal! It’s funny how an activity that affects nobody (if you follow some basic rules) causes such offense. Honestly, I wouldn’t worry too much about detecting beaches; you’re pretty safe. If someone asks, tell them you got a permit for five dollars for 12 hours. To be really safe, stay out of sight and be forgotten by small minds.”**

9

100%

When out in the public eye there are always going to be the fun police.

JW :cowboy_hat_face:

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10

…And now the lakes come up who would know you had ever been there digging holes…:man_shrugging: better to ask for forgiveness…than beg for permission… so are kids allowed to dig holes while playing on the lake front or do they need a permit for that too, bit silly if you ask me…

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11

Guess the days of digging holes to build a “sand” castle are gone. Unless you get a permit. Bloody ridicules.

JW :cowboy_hat_face:

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