New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

just wondering if it's OK to detect in public parks around NZ or do you need (or should you get) permission from local council/DOC first?

thanks in advance!

It's quite possible that NZ councils could start to ban metal detecting from parks if it becomes obvious that the ground is being damaged. In particular in summer times if the ground is hard and crumbly the digging we do might damage the grass roots and leave obvious signs of our presence behind no matter how careful we are. We shouldn't kid ourselves about how careful we are when the ground conditions just don't suit. Just my thoughts.

Yep, ideally, the ground should look the way it did before you dug the hole.
I've even started using a bag/cloth down to put the loose soil onto,
then its very easy to tip the lot back into the hole.

some people have been detecting in council parks down here in Invercargill that I would never go.They have been digging big plugs and not putting excess dirt back into the hole ,it looks terrible.
I was at a park detecting in the bark chips when a ranger came speeding up and asked if I had been digging up the parks as they were on the look out for a person digging holes everywhere.This has made it hard for others now.
It has put me off going out as much now,and sticking to the beachs now-but my detector isnt really up for the task at the beach.

hey there bedrock,Im from invercargill and have been going to a lot of the council reserves and parks and have yet to see any evidence of anyone elses holes,or even any detectorists at all.I thought i had the whole city to myself...lol.Im relatively new to this pasttime but i challenge anyone to go to a spot ive just been and find any evidence that i had even been at all.It is so easy to not leave any signs that you had even dug a hole.
In my limited and short time doing this I have come up with these guidelines

1)Use a sharp knife to cut plug(be descreet ,i.e dont wave it around like a crazed escaped convict or the police will turn up)
2)Cut a small 3 sided plug so one side is still attached
3)Confine diggings to smallest area possible right on edge of hole
4)Refill hole with all soil that you removed or it will have a hollow when you stomp it back into place
5)Brush shoe over plug couple times to fluff grass back up and it also distributes loose leaves and the like back over the top
6)Depending on the park and how likely it is to have a park ranger approach,if you find trash like pull tabs and bottle tops keep them in your pocket so you can whip them out,he/she will be impressed that you are helping them keep there turf free of litter,then ask them if they can see any sign of the 4,987 holes that you just dug and run your ass outta there!LOL
7)Lastly ,dont dress like a bum and DONT wear sunglasses as this will give the impression that you are scared of someone recognising you or, that you are ashamed of waving a funny looking walking stick back and forth over the ground only to find 1 and 2 cent pieces that arent even worth 1 and 2 cents.

This is what i do ,feel free to correct me on any of these points.It hard not to go out and look for stuff now as I am well and truely hooked.Cant believe the amount of silvers that people have been finding

cheers

I have found it to be like this out at Otautau -

Council have intimidated, threatened me & spotlighted my house late at night because I metal detect two parks out this way - On ALL occasions, the councilors have failed to identify themselves -

When I have asked them what seems to be the problem, they say that I am digging up the parks - Now I have asked them to show me any damage that I have caused, they are unable to find any - they also know that I remove one h3ll of a lot of rubbish from these sights as well - The local police have not had any complaints at all & they actually see me as an asset to the community - I have met with the local council regarding this hobby only to be shot down by their property manager who had already made up his mind on this issue well before the meeting started -

I was looking at starting a small club out this way & run a "round the mountain" hunt on a fortnightly basis but this is on hold as I do not want anyone else out this way to experience the bullyboy tactics I have endured -

It also does not help that one of the councilors is also a local cop -

I have also been approached by many members of the public who are extremely positive about what it is I do -

Remove rubbish, save history & generally keep an eye on things -

Now if the council acted like descent law abiding people I would not have dug my toes in and made a stand regarding metal detecting - Nothing more than thugs down this way -

One more thing I would like to point out - Damage to parks or unfilled hole are NOT limited to what type of detector you have - its all about attitude - I went on a hunt with an elderly gentleman & his MineLab - anything he did not want to keep went over his shoulder & it took a fair bit of explaining for him to understand that what he was doing was not a good idea - On the other hand, me with the F2 am quite the opposite, so cheap detectors & unfilled holes dont necessarily go together ...............

Just my 2c worth

Might go out for a hunt & a headache today

Stay safe fellow members and Happy Hunting

The Park in question & the council have banned "children & bicycles" & "people walking dogs" -

However it is used for rugby (something I NEVER detect on) & a couple of car shows a year -

It was after one of the car shows I was threatened by them - I had even shown them car parts that had been discarded by some vehicle - they didn't give a shite - obviously someone in a suit has nailed his weener to a bar & has trouble thinking -

Its amazing how children on bicycles cannot use the park, but piss-heads in V8's drive ALL over it -

Sometimes you just have to ignore the fools & keep swinging, even though you feel like a criminal trying to enjoy your addiction ;)

thanks for the heads up on the headlight Tonznz -

I have a gut feeling that I just may become another hunting statistic wearing a glow bug like that between my eyes LMAO -

honestly these guys down here are frothing at the mouth -

the Longwoods this summer will prolly be the killing fields hahaha - paranoid much? (possibly)

nice looking headgear - i may have to look at some of those when my aircraft landing light & truck battery goes bad

Edited by user Friday, 28 September 2012 12:35:09 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified