New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

Change of scenery, so to speak.
Will be posting a log of each and every hunt for the next thirty days, along with a respective "kill shot" of both jewels and junk, and some background pics from along the way.
Got the idea in the pre dawn darkness this morning as I dug up my third musket ball (of 8) for the day- Left most of them in the holes for others, as I only wanted a couple of type specimens for the cabinet.
You'll know where I was Creamer :)

It'll hopefully cover a range of hunt styles, sites, a couple of permissions, and a real doozy from out of left-field if the weather plays ball.

Dawn low tide for the first one tomorrow morning, hope it's a good'un for Day1 !

Stay Tuned.

MW

1st Hunt
0600 - 0700
Estuarine foreshore

Well, started off with a whimper rather than a roar. That's the nature of this game though.


Arrived on site just on first light and made a fool of myself getting tangled in Jasmine/honeysuckle on the way down the near-vertical Kikuyu bank. I arrived at the beach, some 12' below, in a less than elegant manner. Glanced up at the houses that overlook and all were still dark so my dignity had been preserved :)


There was a fair bit of shingle piled up after the storm yesterday and the mud at waters edge was very soft. That sort of left a band about 5m of workable dirt.

I've previously had some pennies and clay pipe stems out of here, and junk is non-existant.
Bit of a hassle weaving the coil in and around the oyster-covered rocks, the odd old whiskey bottle fragments are always a good sign though.

First ding was an old 50c out of the ooze, bright and shiny. Picked up a few more old decimals on the very edge of the water but was getting more and more filthy with every dig. I'd anticipated mud, but not quite as fluid and mobile as this stuff! So I headed up onto the cobbles and quickly scooped a 1947 shilling.


As always, whenever oysters are around, the lead sinkers started to flow into the pouch. Had a surface find of a manky 1940's penny sunbathing on the rocks, too easy.

7am clicked over too soon, and after only an hours swinging it was time to catch another appointment.

The final Junk 'n Jewels shot:



Interesting find of the morning would be a solid brass ...thingy. Cast poorly from two halves with a socket in the base. Very leached and porous. Maybe a finial-type endcap off something.

Another was a 'hot' rock, black oxidised outer with bright red core. Traces of what looked to be pyrites along a fracture in it when dug. One for the XRF on Monday.

Have to get into the habit of actually digging the camera out, too easy to get engrossed in the moment and forget I have it.

Better luck next run.
I hope.

MW

Hi Mudwigler

I like this way you are posting. Showing the ground, the hole, and the find. And your most descriptive way you are going about it.
I do get a bit bored just looking at a pile of silver coins. Seen one, ya seen them all. To be honest silver coins don't do much for me. When I was a kid I used to have a pocket full, now that tells ya how old I am. I really like and appreciate the oddball stuff, military buttons and memorabilia. Tokens etc. And relics, no offense to you silver addicts lol. Each to their own. When I was a kid, my pocket money per week was one shilling. Ya could buy a lot of lollies with that in my day. Frig I'm getting old. Mind you I guess finding a few silvers would bring back some memories for me. Buggar a half crown, Im rich, of to the lollie shop. And might even play the Juke Box.

Cheers Trev aka " The Hatter"

Yes, agree with Iggy....cool stories and great blending of pictures.
How do you insert pic's between sentences? I've been trying to work that one out for ages but it never seems to work for me.

Sorry for delay - Computer done gone and blowed up, complete with fat blue spark bouncing across desk!

Anyway, a belated update of foraging activity:

7/9/15
0500-0600Hrs
Quick beach hunt before work

Forgot Camera!

Arrived at the local in light rain, tantalising trough and bar had formed at the breaker line but despite having the wetsuit in the tide had a long way to go before it’d be accessible, and I’d be at the desk by then.
Had a reccy through a few scallops and gravel lines, but nothing other than light ali.

Put down a hole to see how much chaff was sitting on top and gave up after half a metre – still in loose recent sand.

Headed up onto the grass parking area chasing coin of the realm instead.

Lots of canslaw and crown caps up here, plus due to the soft blown sand and regularly mown kikuyu things go deep, fast. Typical depth of a target in this patch runs at about 10-20cm, even whole crushed cans. Having said that, I’ve pulled a 1904 penny from the 20cm mark so that seems to be the “settling point” for most things. Rings of any sort have proved elusive though.

My usual technique is to focus on traffic routes based on focal points, in this case the toilet block/changing room. Most people visiting the beach will visit here, and if changing, there’ll be shuffling of clothes during final approach or on departure. They’re also removed from the main “party” area and as such relatively light in trash.

Still hard work though, and despite working this area many times managed to unearth a couple of junk kiddy-rings and a Monopoly Top hat (Who plays Monopoly at the beach?)

I wear a glove on my digging hand, which while protecting from cuts and blisters, has the disadvantage that in the dark you can’t see the ants swarming over your hand. Eventually they reach the cuff and decide that biting this new fleshy surface has more effect!

The headlight went on full blaze, the glove got ripped off and I proceeded to leap around slapping ants off and swearing. So much for low profile!

18/9/15
1500-1700
Beach Post Tsunami

Went for a Tiki Tour post Tsunami to see if the currents had a) been active and if so, b) been worthwhile. Wasn’t expecting much given the small amplitude and 20-30 minute period from the P-waves, the forecast S-waves weren’t going to produce anything on the bit of coast I was heading for other than minor surging due to the bathymetry and location. Yeah, I’m a bit of an anorak when it comes to geoseismics !

Site 1: some sediment movement from last visit with a previous substrate exposure having increased, although Creamer and I hit this area hard recently and nothing found other than a couple of 1oz sinkers, carefully checked for holes in case they were musket balls. Stroppy cloudburst snuck up on me while back was turned and head bowed staring at the dirt. I could either get drenched heading back to the car for a by then redundant jacket, or stay put and get wet detecting.
So I carried on, saturated within a minute, while various already soaked dog-walkers and their respective bedraggled canines hurried past back to their cars, giving me odd looks (the people, not the dogs…)

Site 2: Tidal channel, which would have had some decent currents ripping in and out. Sand looked pretty much normal, but there was a distinct line of small cobbles, and a rock I use as indicator was possibly a little more exposed by an inch or two.


...And then the battery went flat. I hate technology (except detectors, of course)

Nothing much but endless 2 & 5c pieces and 1-3oz sinkers. During another downpour while sheltering under a bridge, I used the time to hit the small area hard at maximum sensitivity and reeeeaaally slow sweeps. Returned yet more deep 2c pieces, an electronic dog tag at about 30cm and a small enamelled Manchester Union of Oddfellows badge sitting quietly _inside_ a shell. Took me a while to work out where that one was hiding, repeatedly pushing the shell out of the way with the XPointer before it dawned on me.




Oddfellows is one of the largest friendly societies in the UK having celebrated its 200 anniversary in 2010. Evolving from the medieval Trade Guilds, Oddfellows began in London in the late 17th century and still going today. Badge itself looks to be post 70’s.

20/9/15
0700-1000Hrs
Beach post Tsunami #2

Did a mini-road trip to see if the “Tidal Ripple” had stirred anything up elsewhere.
First port of call had distinctive shovel drag marks and potholes all along the base of the dunes. Obviously someone beat me to it yesterday, filled in the worst of their holes they’d left behind as I did a quick reccy. They’d cleaned up pretty good with at least two passes along the washout. It wasn’t worth the time picking for scraps and I didn’t want to be associated with their mess so I moved on.
Spot two wasn’t overly appealing either. Looked as though the beach gradient had just been evened out with nothing either coming in or going away. My first reference mark was as I left it two weeks ago, so I went for a wander. Sand had built further along the beach with maybe another 6-10” on top of where it was last time.
Situations like this (a lot of petrol from home and all the intended sites turning out to be no-go’s) are great for getting the mind working and thinking outside the box.
I stood on the beach looking down the length one way, then the other. Just thinking outside the box wasn’t going to work, I needed to flatten it. Took maybe two minutes of brain-ache to figure out a cunning plan – as it turns out my mental box-stomping would actually pay off big time.
15min walk later I arrived at Plan B. I’d been here before several times with modest results but it’s not an intuitive location to search and in fact almost goes against most MD where to hunt theories.
Geared up and in the first few minutes pulled an Aussie penny sitting quietly on the basement


Not a bad start. Couple more swings and that sweet silver tone – Vicky shilling. You beauty!


Pinging a pre-1900 always makes my day.

I worked the little corner for a few more minutes but nothing more than 1 and 2c pieces. So moved on. 10m further and into another corner, and that tone again! Had a good feeling about this one, so decided to do some before and after shots

X Marks the spot



And in the daylight for the first time in over 150yrs – Another Vicky. Right chuffed.


Now the brain started to warm up. 2 Vickies, effectively next to each other… Worth hanging around here.

Very next swing and less than 10” away from the shilling, a very bright, strong signal. Picked it as a 50c just under the surface and kicked the scoop in to scalp the top off. Nope still there. Lifted the coil, still there. Big and deep, but not a can.

Started making some serious hole and up comes – a nickel spur! If you asked me to make a list of the 100 things I’d expect to find here, this would never be on it. Explains the Loud n Clear signal.



Pocketed that and another swing – Bang! Silver coin again. Insane stuff. Wiped it off to reveal ANOTHER Vicky. I was giggling to myself by now. Third Vickie in as many paces.


And so it went on. 1919 Aussie 6d lurking under a tree root



And another shilling, thruppence and a couple more pennies. One penny was really badly encrusted


Took 30 minutes in the ultrasonic bath before a now familiar head emerged and I could pull a date…1876! But thoroughly shagged unfortunately.

Then I got that DIG! tone.
Two good deep scoops later, and something glinted in the sun - fortunately I had missed it with the scoop!


Gently eased it out and it glinted even more in the sun


But all that glitters.... Is usually gold plated! :(

There's something stamped inside, but indecipherable. Probably says "Ha, Bet that Got You Going!"

Oh... yet another Vickie shilling :)


And a 925 ring - I'm gonna call this spot the Energizer Bunny, just keeps going, and going, and.....


Killshot at the beach


And cleaned up at base (I didn't want to clean the silvers, quite often the detail is retained in the oxide and lost if cleaned)



Final score:
Pennies: 1876,1953(Oz), 1958, 1960
Thruppences: 1934
Sixpences: 1873, 1919 (Oz), 1956, 1957
Shillings: 1844, 1879, 1882
Rings: 1x .925

And the junk (no ali or bottlecaps today)



Freshwater hunt next I think....



MW

Edited by user Sunday, 20 September 2015 6:07:31 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Added junk pic

Awesome old stuff m8 , good haul

26/9
1400-1700Hrs
Old Swimming Hole

Todays area is all but deserted, but a 1909 map shows a respectable cluster of buildings. And within easy walking distance is a waterfall and small pool.
Bit of detective work to ID the landowner, and rocked up yesterday to ask permission, "Yeah, 'spose...". Means "Yes" apparently.

Turned up today and just checked in to let him know I was on site, and the stories started.
How back in the day it was the 'local' pool, about the mill that used to be down there somewhere...and how he met his wife while swimming there.
I politely turned down the cuppa, lots of area to cover, and all that.

10 minutes later I was climbing the last fence before dropping down into the river valley, then climbed back OUT of the gully to retrieve the lesche that had decided to remain up at the fence!

After a check that I hadn't inadvertently left anything else behind I was back down on the flats. The green baleage wrapping 4m up in the trees (and everywhere else!) suggested that this small muddy stream had some venom in heavy rains. The flats were obviously very deep silt from repeated floods although would be a good sprawling out spot in summer - Nothing was found though so I headed upstream.



Pretty soon, the flats gave out to a bouldery riverbed where the stream joined. The silt was much lighter here so gave a swing around the logical crossing spot, and Ping! I was wondering why someone would have a padlock here, but then it dawned that it was the remains of an old pocket watch. Cool, would've preferred a better specimen, but it's still my first one.


I was having doubts that I was in the right gully, didn't look like swimming hole material, but carried on upstream scanning various gravelly pockets in between the rocks.


And got a ring! I wish.


But the trash was improving with a small brass buckle, braces? Sandal? Bra?


Plenty of bits of crockery etc mixed in with the gravel


Targets were improving as I made my way over the obstacle course with the first coin hiding under the edge of a small rock


Turned out to be a 1950 Florin


And then I heard water... A very pleasant spot in summer, well would have been, probably bloated with coliforms and bovine effluent now.



The pool didn't have any sandy bits, so started zig-zagging back downstream, rummaging around each drop zone behind the boulders when I got a solid 68


Turned out to be a State Express 555 cigarette lid, can't find anything to date it on the web, but the lithograph states by appt to King George VI so I'm going to guess 50's to match the florin


This pocket sounded really good with multiple 'bright' tones


Dropped into the hole like a little piggy and first target out was an Aussie penny, no date unfortunately, but the lack of a Roo puts it pre '39.


Next up was a '36 penny. Nice. Starting to get some evidence of prolonged usage now.


Thoroughly shovelled for another florin and 3 cartridge cases



Final score

I'm fairly confident that's an old shearing comb

Probably won't go back to this one, very little is accessible in and around the boulders. I might reconsider in summer and just go back with the pinpointer and a lesche to get into all the crooks and nannies around the edge of the pool.


Hope you enjoyed the trip, at least you didn't get bitten to buggery by mossies!

great pics may the gold gods be on your side.