New Zealand Gold Fossicking Forums

Well another trip to the back of beyond... Spot had everything-big rock in the middle of the creek,beaches on the inside bends,tree roots,crevices... Looked like something out of a how to get gold textbook!6 hours later and all I got was 3 or 4 REALLY small flakes and lots of sandfly bites.
What went wrong?
Btw it was up Nuggety Creek up from Wangapeka...

Hi JW, loved the pics from your Shotover, Arrow and Naseby trips - you got some excellent colour! I agree about getting down to the bed rock, an absolute must! I have worked the Whakamarina (top of the Pelorous Sounds/Canvastown) and found some good stuff in the cracks/crevices along the banks and stream bed. When I get some pics up on my computer I'll send you some. I enjoy your feedback and pics! Cheers, Balfour.

Hi all-anybody had any trouble fossicking up the Wakamarina?I was there panning last November and some irate local(I presume) had a proper go at me.No sign of any claim pegs but he was pretty keen to let me know it was his patch... Havent been back since but might have a go now the tourists have thinned a bit!

G'day overdog, Mate......you wont believe this. I went back up this little creek over the weekend & bugger me..... I found my stolen gear. All of it. A year later. Some prick had taken it way up this little creek. There must have been two of them to do it as one bloke couldnt have carried it all unless he made a couple of trips. It ment going up quite a few waterfalls where you need both hands to get up them & that means being very careful not to slip or drop gear. Hence my staching it in the bush up here. I had been cleaning out a couple of crevices way up the creek. I only got a few specks & nothing to show off really. I had a bit of time up my sleeve before dark so just took the pan & a crevice sucker & walked up a bit further. Cleaned out some small crevices for zip & went back to my gear to pack up & head on down. My eye caught what I thought was a white bucket lying on its side half hidden by the bush high up the bank behind where I had been working. I thought I best check that out. I did & what a thrill I got to see it was all my gear. Crevicing scraper tools, Crevice suckers, under water viewfinder, sluice box, Wooden header box, Gad pry bar, Sieve buckets, shovel , hand trowls etc. Here is a pic of the sluice box with the wooden header box attached & a 2" suction nozzle set up going in to it.



JW

Hi JW and Steve,

Was sorry to read you had your gear stolen, but wrapped when I heard you had found it! I have been going up the Wakamarina for about 5 years now and stay at a great little camping sitre called Pinedale Motor Camp. It is about half way up and has great facilities and plenty of camping space. It also has it's own gold fossicking section of the river - not a long stetch, but enough to fossick round and pick up some small flakes and specks of colour. I was really interested in Steves comments about Pear Tree Flat and All Nations Creek - I know exactly where you are Steve and would love to pop in an visit you next time I'm up your way. i would also love to catch up with Rocky Don, sounds a real local character and probably has tons of stories to relate. Great to hear from you guys - keep it up, we all love it!! Balfour the trier!

Thanks Steve-damn decent of you!

Hi Steve,

Posting photos didn't seem too intuitive on the forum to me either...

1) Reply to post by clicking the "Post Reply" button at the bottom to get to the richer functionality reply page (rather than doing a quick reply).

2) At bottom of reply you should see Options: "Attach files to this post?" tick box. Tick this.

3) When you click "Post" you'll then be given a chance to add your photos.

Look forward to seeing some of your finds too ;)

Cheers,
Gavin

Hi Steve

Any chance I could visit with you one day you are at your claim? I wouldn't mind somewhere closer than the Howard or Murchison to scratch around in. I'll even bring my own coffee and sand fly repellant.

Cheers

Dave

I'm working today so I'll be on here quite a bit methinks. Not much happening around Base. Go for a drive around every now and again. I should be doing some assignmnet stuff but...

My wife teaches swimming to bablies and pre schoolers on Saturdays, so with the school term starting up she will be back to that. Next Sunday is Anzac Day so I'll have a parade then take mother in law back to Murchison so might get a couple of hours in before I come home again. If you are in the vicinity, my home number is 03 5727928 and mobile is 021 625 964. Don't be surprised if some Flight Sergeant answers it, cos it's my work phone.

Cheers

David

Hi there,
I to give the Nuggety Creek up from Wangapeka a go with gold detector yes bloody slim pickings.
Walked for 4 hours up the creek there was a couple of places mid stream where the detector went off
that I couldn't check out as I had forgot to take my unwater viewing thinge.
However there was some excitement as I was getting up round a bend there in the distance in some pools was
a couple of she & he skinny dippers they did not see me at first, then thinking to myself will I dive into bush and walk round or keep detecting there could be gold between me & them..... there was white body parts going everywhere and believe me the water must have been cold!!! I waited for a bit & cleaned out a crack on the side of the creek then seen them slope on passed down the walking track but there was three of them not sure what was going on there...
Anyhow back to golding, since then I have done some research it seems that 'blue creek' before nuggety creek was a high gold bearing area also there are some old gold trailings at the kings creek hut area that would be worth a look to so hope to go back some time next summer.