New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

hey guys, i am pretty new to gold panning and i was wondering if you experienced guys could let me know if there are any areas around 1 hour or 1 and a half hours from dunedin to gold pan? i want to get out and pan but im not too sure were to go :/
any help would be appreciated
thanks!

Hello and welcome digger, assuming you have already a couple of pans under your belt and know how to pan, a great place to start looking for gold is the Public library, the Dunedin library has a bit on the history Otago gold fields on the first floor. Here also you can get geological maps. Good places are to start where the old timers finished, There are a few places around but it has taken years of research and unsuccessful field testing to develop sites that you personally plan to have a dig in for years to come, only to have them dug out under your very nose. So in time I think you will find people are more open when they can see you have done a bit of research, and can actually discuss History, ideas etc. Also sift through this very forum for little nuggets of information, and Google, Papers past ,Crown minerals etc. Poohbear Has given you a very good pointer, wash the willow roots at this location if the water is a bit high, and you will indeed find good Au. ;)

Well you are naming the right places to look in, the fossicking area at Gabriel's has colour, pretty much the whole Clutha basin, just aim for bed rock,clean out cracks, the Otago schist country is mineral rich, so where erosion and deposition occurs on-from the schist, is a good chance of finding colour. The black sands are worth panning and will help teach you skilled panning, a magnet helps, good luck :)