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.

15 For Just Over 5 Grams

kiwijw		Posted : Thursday, 18 December 2014 8:40:17 PM(UTC)
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)		Hi guys , Mrs JW had a wedding to video over near a detecting spot of ours last friday. We decided to make a weekend of it staying there for the weekend. She headed off to do her business & wouldnt be finished until 10pm or there abouts So I shot off after work back to the spot where I did my comparison test between the 2300 & 4500/sadie. (thats if you checked out that link I put up) Meeting up with my better half later that evening. I went back to the spot where I scored that little patch of small gold pieces that the 2300 missed. I went back over the same area & around the back filled dig holes with the 4500/sadie. Straight away I got a very faint positive sounding signal right next to one of the dig holes. Down a good four inches & out pops a small bit of gold Off to a good start. Then another signal. Another bit of gold The depth of these small bits amazes me. Oh.....I forgot to mention that last weekend when I was doing the comparison test between the 2300 & 4500/sadie I was getting a bit of EMI so I was detecting in quiet mode in the audio with the 4500. This time I was able to detect in deep mode so this may explain why I am picking these bits up that I missed last weekend. Got another faint signal & this was down a bit deeper at about 8" Another sassy bit of the good stuff Yet another signal And again a bit of gold And another More gold That seemed to be the end of it so I put on the NF 14 x 9 to get that extra bit of depth & go over the ground again. The bits I found were down on the schist bed rock so I was hoping there were some more bits off to the side in deeper ground. MMMmmm wasnt to be. So that was it for friday night. 5 bits. The next day MRs JW & I headed to where there were some power lines running through the diggings & where I got a bit of grief with the 4500. I had found some gold here back with the GP 3000 & 11" commander mono. All be it very noisey & trying to hear a signal amonmgst all the chatter. I did get a few bits but it was bloody hard work & drove me nuts. I went back this time with the 2300. Fired it up & had a bit of a play around with it. On 5 it was a little bit ratty but nothing like the PI. I backed off to 4 & stayed with that setting. Got a few shot gun pellets & boot nails etc but no gold. A mate of mine had been through here with his Gold Bug Pro & scored a 4 grammer. The fact this rubbish was still here gave me a bit of hope. But it wasnt to be on the gold front. We ended up going to some old turned over piles where I had done well on in the past but thought I may as well give the sadie coil a blast here. I had also brought the brush cutter to smash out some more thyme bushes. I spent half an hour cutting this patch out & Mrs JW got stuck in getting them out of the way. I put the 14 x 9 back on for a bit more depth to start with. Got a nice signal. A few scrapes & it was out. A small bit of gold Then a very faint signal. Dug down on to it & it brightened up quite a bit. Wow...you beauty. That was it though on the cleared out area. I put back on the sadie coil & got no more. I wondered off just poking & prodding the sadie in amongst the thyme bushes. Got a faint signal in the very bottom of one of the old timers prospect dig holes. A nice piece of gold. Ye Ha Then off to the side of the same hole a sweet little signal. A small piece of gold And another Gold it was That was it for saturday. Another 5 bits. Sunday saw us at some other old diggings. Within a minute I had my first signal amongst the thyme bushes. A small bit of gold Then nothing for a couple of hours. I then got a signal in the side wall of a tailings race & out poped a piece of gold. Then nothing for the rest of the afternoon. Mrs JW decided to drive home while I stayed on & drove off to another spot. A spot I hadnt tried the sadie on yet. With in a minute I had a signal on the top edge of an old prospect hole discard pile. Boy the grass has certainly dreid out. Ye Ha...a bit of gold Then in the bottom of the next prospect hole a signal. I was down in to the hard bottom virgin wash & the signal was still there so I was pretty confident this was going to be the good stuff. And it was. On the top edge of another hole a nice signal Another bit of gold That was it for sunday. Another 5 bits making a total of 15 for the weekend for just over 5 grams. Cheers all. Hope you all have a great xmas & happy hunting over your holiday break. Good luck out there JW :) Edited by user Thursday, 18 December 2014 8:44:30 PM(UTC) \| Reason: Not specified

Chrispy		Posted : Saturday, 20 December 2014 9:33:59 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 31/07/2012(UTC) Posts: 314 Location: Christchurch Thanks: 82 times Was thanked: 230 time(s) in 102 post(s)		Aint gold nice to look at. Well done on your haul. Looks like big open country. Are you putting in big kms between targets or do you move slowly??

1864hatter		Posted : Sunday, 21 December 2014 12:34:08 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 4/08/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,007 Location: Auckland.... Thanks: 49 times Was thanked: 566 time(s) in 269 post(s)		JW, nice work as usual! I read all your posts, both here and on other forums. Your posts are the best around. Its easy to see that you go to a good amount of effort out in the field and in writing up your posts. Keep it up. Fingers crossed I will be able to have a contribution of my own to make before the end of the year. Hopefully you get some whopper Christmas gold!!!
		And now....On sandy beaches and muddy soil, rings and coins await my coil!

kiwijw		Posted : Sunday, 21 December 2014 1:28:02 PM(UTC)
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)		Hi guys, Chrispy: Thanks for your comment & for dropping bye. Yep.... Central Otago is BIG open country. Always move slowly when detecting for gold & yes....can put in big k's between finds but often when amongst old diggings I can get numerous bits from them. Like the 5 bits I got each day from the three different old diggings I targeted on those days. They were a few k's apart though. Cheers & merry xmas. Matt: Thanks mate for your kind words. It is something I am very passionate about, as I know you are, & I never seem to get tired of doing. Just being out there is reward enough & the beautiful places I get up in to. Effort & reward. As you will know you have to put in the effort to try to realise any reward. You got to be out there walking over gold to find it. Aint going to do that sitting on the couch. A lot of research too is all part of it. That to is very interesting in its self. I know you must be missing the gold hunting yourself now you are up in Auckland so I am glad you get a buzz & a bit of a lift & fix from my posts. I am now only posting on this & the Aussie site these days. Since Steve Herschbach sold out & shut down his Alaska site I havnt re joined his new one and I have not posted on the American Treasurenet site for ages. I still keep an eye on Lanny's line of posts every now & then. Where are you heading for your xmas break? Hope to see a contribution from you. Thanks for your well wishes & best of luck to you out there & a very merry xmas to you & your better half :) Regards John :)