New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

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12mile queenstown

jase265		Posted : Thursday, 2 June 2011 2:44:12 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Flake Groups: Registered Joined: 2/08/2010(UTC) Posts: 24 Location: newzealand Thanks: 1 times Was thanked: 1 time(s) in 1 post(s)		hey guys, gotta take the wife an mother in law to to queenstown this month to drop em of on tramping trip, so im packing my 7mm dive suit an some tools an im going for a snipe on the 12 mile, has anyone here done any sniping on the 12mile? i have got a few spots lined up from last time i was their. cheers guys some info on anyone that has done this their would be great. cheers jason
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simon		Posted : Thursday, 2 June 2011 4:02:24 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 7/01/2011(UTC) Posts: 789 Location: Central Otago Thanks: 33 times Was thanked: 239 time(s) in 150 post(s)		hi jase, how far up the 12 mile do you go? i see someone has a claim in for submission above the public area now too. goes way up into the mountains. you can see it on the claim map on paydirt. i went for a walk up there a couple of weeks ago. got stuck at a log jam above the junction with maori gully. had the gumboots on so was pretty slippery so gave up and had a sluice amongst the boulders. got only 1 small flake and about 3 specks. didn't see too much ground for sniping. i know sometimes you see bedrock exposed but all mostly covered in gravel at the mo. been pretty warm for start of winter (no snow either). did snow a few weeks back so there's still a bit of water in the creek for this time of year. i think the public area has been pretty trashed, have you tried below the bridge. some big drops down where they do the canyoning. i was reading they tunnelled into a gold lead down there somewhere. the same guy that did the tunnel at arthurs point put a shaft in the bank somewhere there. dunno if its collapsed but it was into rock - following a deep dipping gold lead. i guess it must have been on the tru right bank as it mentioned the lead dipped steeply towards bob's cove.
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jase265		Posted : Friday, 3 June 2011 2:55:47 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Flake Groups: Registered Joined: 2/08/2010(UTC) Posts: 24 Location: newzealand Thanks: 1 times Was thanked: 1 time(s) in 1 post(s)		thanks simon, well i just walk the creek from where the track starts to move away from the stream, not farm from the start, walk untill i find where the miners stacked rocks on the edge of the bank on the left, an just above that their is a deep hole id like to look at as well, but as the old saying goes "fish ya feet first" just as you leave the carpark an walk the track when the track starts to climb their is a wee track that leads down to the creek, i have found some good gold on the opp side buy digging at the edge of the water down to the bedrock takes a while but their is gold down their. so what i will do is brave the cold an have a swim with the prybar, an clear the edges an look for crevies that you cant see when using a sluice. so they dont have the claim as yet? not sure if i will have a look down stream.thanks jason
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simon		Posted : Sunday, 5 June 2011 3:36:55 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 7/01/2011(UTC) Posts: 789 Location: Central Otago Thanks: 33 times Was thanked: 239 time(s) in 150 post(s)		hi jase, i think i know where you mean by the big hole. if it is it looks like a dredging hole (even tho its a doc permitted area). i've found the odd good bit up there that the miners missed. someone does have a claim submitted for the whole 12 mile catchment above the doc claimed area. dunno if its been approved yet tho, best to check the permit map on paydirt. was up the creek a couple of days back where you hit the river off the side track. looks like someone's given it a good going over at the point pretty recently - shitloads of stones up the banks etc. didn't get bugger all as there a bit more water than there would usually be at this time of year as the freeze hasn't started. just rained a whole heap on sat night so its prob raging now. takes a bit longer to go down than the likes of the shotover. i'm goin to hit some mountain tops tomorrow with the detector hopefully. there's still a few places you can get to around here that the greedy haven't blocked access to.
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