New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

Well Iv had an intresting 3 weeks traveling with family from the uk and hunting the hot spots around the upper south island we started of from blenheim heading to takaka golden bay and it just rained for 2 days not much fun sitting in the campa couldnt get out just managed the able tasman walk we then headed motueka tapawera with the pans just and ended up at the buller gorge were my tin ass wife found a nice nugget between the rocks and she wasnt even trying the floods have run high threw their latley and it was found up high and no pans just looking between the cracks we then headed to reefton meet the bearded miners they were a neat couple of older guys with lots to tell we were their all morning then we did the ociana gold trip up to the mine we got picked up by bus all the saftey talk the high vis vests glasses and up we went you can view their dvd on their site it was good but you dont see any gold just how they do it the gold is trucked and railed down south their is some money in that place well worth a look tho we then spent a night at slab hut flats moved plenty of shingle but as we did not know the area we didnt see anything but we were told it was a good spot was probly us in the wrong spot lots of wild life wekas will eat out of your hands we walked the track up beside the river I wish I had more time as this would be a great place to exsplore I will go their again then of to reefton cafe for breakfast was nice lake daniels alfred river then hamner waiau river was looking good enjoyed the jet boat trip we would recomend that then kaikora blenheim back to reality we went yesterday up the waka and enjoyed watching a pro working his spot we had a pan for a bit and back to blenheim of to chch tomorrow to drop them at the airport then back to reality oh broke now to haha jd

havent worked out the photo thing yet the wife is good in that department, well we have completed a few trips since my last posting but the latest was saturday ,went up the wakamarina took the rav all the way to the end the 4wd track into the bush, what a tight track but we got to the end parked up not before meeting a couple of fellas krazie kiwi nice guy plenty to chat about, he knows what hes talking about we were heading to devils creek hut via the river, that reminds me any one lost a canoe message me I know were it is ( way up) we took over 4 hours up and down those creeks, meet a possum trapper from tapawera wasnt doing to good ,we checked out the old mine shafts, what a neat place so peace full and quiet just my noisey kids haha, we didnt make the hut as we were running out of day light maybe next weekend we will just go straight their no viaring of was a great day out tho,

Friday me and the wife droped the kids of to school then headed to bartlets creek, spent the day looking for the conceled mine shaft and the gold berring shist, we followed the track by the river with no joy anyone know were this is we got as far as the end of the blue gums, we then followed the track up the hill but even up their we could not see it those 3 valleys look ok tho at the top of the creek, that may be a trip for another day we went for a couple of hour walk down the track towards the waka at the end of the forest road parked on the hill thats a neat area to, the logging is a mess tho
well im sure we will go traveling again this week jd

the concealed mine shaft you were looking for is that the one up quartz creek? the sutherland battery was up there i think. favourite spot of mine for camping at quartz creek flats

i think we are talking the same place...quartz creek flows into bartlets from the left [true right]. old long broken concrete ford just upstream from confluence or gravel ford beside the swimming hole.
used to be able to 4wd from quartz campsite upstream but the dec 2010 storm and floods took care of that

had a trip up the river beside wellington stamper yesterday me wife and two kids for all you goat hunters we seen plenty up their the track is rough to mostly hill climbing as the floods have wrecked the track great day tho jd