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Aorere River A/Aorere River B

only1gold		Posted : Thursday, 14 July 2011 6:07:47 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Flake Groups: Registered Joined: 12/07/2011(UTC) Posts: 18 Location: Wgtn, New Zealand Thanks: 31 times Was thanked: 2 time(s) in 2 post(s)		Hi guys, I'm fairly new to the forum and was wondering whether people have been using the recrational spots like Aorere river as shown on the map on the home page? Or are there any spots close by or so, where it's allowed to sluice and pan? Anybody get some gold from around Nelson?
		O1G

overdog		Posted : Friday, 15 July 2011 6:53:31 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 2/03/2010(UTC) Posts: 418 Location: nelson Thanks: 69 times Was thanked: 82 time(s) in 68 post(s)		Welcome to the madhouse! Never been up the Aorere but its always been on my hit list. Around Nelson youve got the Baton,Wangapeka and the Wakamarina but careful up there as a lot of it is under claim. There is gold in virtually every river-Sherry,Tadmor,Dart and so on its just a matter of putting in the hard yards with a pan and a box to find it! Go get em! :)

gjj109		Posted : Monday, 18 July 2011 11:13:43 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 14/03/2011(UTC) Posts: 464 Location: Thames Thanks: 217 times Was thanked: 194 time(s) in 115 post(s)		Gidday o1g. I have only been to the Aorere at the start of the Heapy Track once. Went there with the kids about 10 years ago. Sandflies were that thick you just about needed a torch to see the river. Wasn't a place to linger on that occasion. Been to Aorere A a couple of times. The last time was in January this year. There was a big flood in December that swept away the Salisbury swing bridge. That was built in 1886. The rock walls of the gorge looked like they had been scraped with a digger. Access to the river at Aorere A is across the bridge. To get downstream go down a track by the toilet. To get upstream, walk along the fence beside the river, on the true right, probably for about a kilometre. You should be able to find a place to scramble down the steep bank here, just before a sharp bend in the river. Colours were fairly easy to locate.

cavey		Posted : Monday, 18 July 2011 10:27:05 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 19/01/2011(UTC) Posts: 145 Location: Ashburton Thanks: 42 times Was thanked: 22 time(s) in 18 post(s)		Thanks for the info on the aorere area mate heading up that way feb/march next year . Will take the pan. Cavey

only1gold		Posted : Tuesday, 19 July 2011 8:42:41 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Flake Groups: Registered Joined: 12/07/2011(UTC) Posts: 18 Location: Wgtn, New Zealand Thanks: 31 times Was thanked: 2 time(s) in 2 post(s)		Thanks for the info gjj109 and overdog, really useful tips since I haven't been there yet. I am thinking of possibly going in the summer to the Nelson area to go gold fossicking, but I'd like to stick to the recreational spots if I can because it will be my first time. I will be sluicing and panning. Any idea on what the bedrock and crevaces are like? And from looking at the google earth views it seems the river is fairly large, is this really an issue or is doing the sluicing on the side ok? Thanks for your help! :)
		O1G

gjj109		Posted : Tuesday, 19 July 2011 11:09:20 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 14/03/2011(UTC) Posts: 464 Location: Thames Thanks: 217 times Was thanked: 194 time(s) in 115 post(s)		The upstream end of the area on the inside of the bend was water worn sandstone, from memory. No cracks but has depressions if you move enough rocks. There is hard rock on the true left bank, but I didn't go there. There is hard rock on the cliff sides in the gorge. It is big water. For something easily walkable, go for a sneaky peek up the Salisbury Creek. This is the creek that runs into the public area by the track near the toilet. There is a track to this stream about 50m past the bridge that goes over the Salisbury Stream, about 250m up Quartz Range Road.