Paydirt.co.nz

New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

 

The forum has moved to community.paydirt.co.nz, see you there!

This forum is now an archive to preserve the knowledge and finds posted here.

Skunked on the Baton...
overdog  
Posted : Thursday, 17 March 2011 2:19:47 PM(UTC)
overdog

Rank: Gold Ingot

Medals: Donation: Made a donation helping cover the running costs of the site - thank you :)

Groups: Registered
Joined: 2/03/2010(UTC)
Posts: 418
Man
Location: nelson

Thanks: 69 times
Was thanked: 82 time(s) in 68 post(s)
Well finally got my arse in gear and headed off to the Baton River-Near Motueka/Nelson for those in the know.Mid week,nobody about and it looked REALLY goldy-exposed bedrock after the floods,moss,old workings... you know what I mean.Long story short after 5 hours of panning,mossing,crevicing and sniping what did I end up with? Absolutely nothing.Not even a flake.First time I have ever been skunked and from a place that looked like the yellow should have been knee deep.Bugger.
Was I just unlucky or has the place been done to death?
Couldnt see any sign of previous fossickers and I was fairly remote...
Back to top
kiwijw  
Posted : Friday, 18 March 2011 8:13:15 AM(UTC)
kiwijw

Rank: Gold Ingot

Groups: Registered
Joined: 28/03/2010(UTC)
Posts: 1,152

Thanks: 92 times
Was thanked: 658 time(s) in 324 post(s)
.

Edited by user Saturday, 9 July 2011 3:17:03 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified
Back to top
overdog  
Posted : Tuesday, 22 March 2011 1:43:04 PM(UTC)
overdog

Rank: Gold Ingot

Medals: Donation: Made a donation helping cover the running costs of the site - thank you :)

Groups: Registered
Joined: 2/03/2010(UTC)
Posts: 418
Man
Location: nelson

Thanks: 69 times
Was thanked: 82 time(s) in 68 post(s)
Cheers John.Over it now-new plans for new places!
Back to top
digger37  
Posted : Saturday, 2 April 2011 12:10:38 PM(UTC)
digger37

Rank: Gold Nugget

Groups: Registered
Joined: 26/04/2010(UTC)
Posts: 34
Man
New Zealand
Location: Nelson

Thanks: 7 times
Was thanked: 16 time(s) in 8 post(s)
Hi overdog,
Yes this is suprising not to have even got a speck, I spent some time up the baton a few years back my best day was about 6 grams
with sluice box in half day, although I was putting through a fear amount of gravel, workin up a bit of a thirst.

How do you put photos on this quick reply thinge?
digger37 attached the following image(s):
DSC02932w.jpg
DSC02931w.jpg
DSC02864-1.jpg
DSC02883.JPG
Back to top
petetsw  
Posted : Saturday, 2 April 2011 2:58:59 PM(UTC)
petetsw

Rank: Gold Flake

Groups: Registered
Joined: 7/06/2010(UTC)
Posts: 28
Location: nelson

Thanks: 3 times
Was thanked: 2 time(s) in 2 post(s)
Hi digger going to baton tomorrow so i just wonder if you went over the swingbridge?? and did you dig in the bank??
Back to top
digger37  
Posted : Sunday, 3 April 2011 4:15:59 AM(UTC)
digger37

Rank: Gold Nugget

Groups: Registered
Joined: 26/04/2010(UTC)
Posts: 34
Man
New Zealand
Location: Nelson

Thanks: 7 times
Was thanked: 16 time(s) in 8 post(s)
Hi there petetsw,
I think there is actually 3 swingbridges, I guess you are going to the top swingbridge to the DOC baton saddle walking track.
Below & down the river from this swing bridge is alot of old miners tailings (built up stones etc) for about 3kms this would be good place to start.
Your not going to get much gold up the sides unless you get lucky and strike some gold bearing wash, you'll do better in the creek beaches or bedrock edges etc
infront or behide big stones, small eddies on the creek edge as shown by the second photo above, the main thing is dont be sceared to do a bit of hard work...

Happy gold hunting

Digger
Back to top
x-terra steve  
Posted : Sunday, 3 April 2011 12:06:28 PM(UTC)
x-terra steve

Rank: Gold Ingot

Medals: Donation: Made a donation helping cover the running costs of the site - thank you :)

Groups: Registered
Joined: 7/04/2010(UTC)
Posts: 224
Man
Location: Nelson NZ

Thanks: 103 times
Was thanked: 69 time(s) in 42 post(s)
Good advice digger,,petetsw the Alice river (crossing the Baton) is also worth some time in.I was up there around seven years ago and found some nice bits and peices.I had planed to return but the Waka got the better of me.
Cheers Steve
Back to top
kiwijw  
Posted : Sunday, 3 April 2011 6:08:49 PM(UTC)
kiwijw

Rank: Gold Ingot

Groups: Registered
Joined: 28/03/2010(UTC)
Posts: 1,152

Thanks: 92 times
Was thanked: 658 time(s) in 324 post(s)
.

Edited by user Saturday, 9 July 2011 3:17:32 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified
Back to top
digger37  
Posted : Monday, 4 April 2011 12:31:09 PM(UTC)
digger37

Rank: Gold Nugget

Groups: Registered
Joined: 26/04/2010(UTC)
Posts: 34
Man
New Zealand
Location: Nelson

Thanks: 7 times
Was thanked: 16 time(s) in 8 post(s)
Yes it would be good to go back to the 1860s for instance at the waka when miners in some places were basically shovelling more gold then gravel into there pans & sluice boxes,
selling kilograms of gold not grams, however those days are gone. Now days it takes persistence & hard work with some luck thrown in to get a good amount of gold....
Cheers X-ts & Jw

Edited by user Monday, 4 April 2011 12:33:25 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified
Back to top