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. ;)
