Paydirt.co.nz

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.

After, the river in flood
x-terra steve  
Posted : Thursday, 13 May 2010 4:56:06 PM(UTC)
x-terra steve

Rank: Gold Ingot

Medals: Donation: Made a donation helping cover the running costs of the site - thank you :)

Groups: Registered
Joined: 7/04/2010(UTC)
Posts: 224
Man
Location: Nelson NZ

Thanks: 103 times
Was thanked: 69 time(s) in 42 post(s)
Hi all,

a really good time to check out what the river has turned up is after a descent flood.

I was poking around the river bank last year after the river had been in flood i found the end of a paddle sticking out of the bank.

I pulled it out and to to my surprise a very old Waka paddle.

The paddle must have been lodged in place for many years until the river unleased its fury.

I handed it into the local museum and has since been in there care.

Not any gold here but still worth a mention.

Cheers Steve

x-terra steve attached the following image(s):
waka.jpg
Back to top
gavin  
Posted : Friday, 14 May 2010 1:04:21 AM(UTC)
gavin

Rank: Gold Ingot

Groups: Administrators, Registered
Joined: 20/02/2010(UTC)
Posts: 1,326
Location: Christchurch

Thanks: 736 times
Was thanked: 535 time(s) in 287 post(s)
That's pretty cool - how old do you think it is?
Back to top
WWW
x-terra steve  
Posted : Saturday, 15 May 2010 7:01:10 AM(UTC)
x-terra steve

Rank: Gold Ingot

Medals: Donation: Made a donation helping cover the running costs of the site - thank you :)

Groups: Registered
Joined: 7/04/2010(UTC)
Posts: 224
Man
Location: Nelson NZ

Thanks: 103 times
Was thanked: 69 time(s) in 42 post(s)
Hi Gavin,

Im not sure how old the paddle is.

The museum was going to do some research and let me know but they have not been in contact with me.


Good to see JW has been out there doing it.

Work has been full on so I havent been back up the river for a few weeks,went to a few local parks detecting and did
$18 in just under an hour.

Cheers Steve (from not so sunny nelson).
Back to top
overdog  
Posted : Saturday, 15 May 2010 12:23:35 PM(UTC)
overdog

Rank: Gold Ingot

Medals: Donation: Made a donation helping cover the running costs of the site - thank you :)

Groups: Registered
Joined: 2/03/2010(UTC)
Posts: 418
Man
Location: nelson

Thanks: 69 times
Was thanked: 82 time(s) in 68 post(s)
Hi Steve-you didnt find the waka as well did you? (",) Which river out of interest?
Back to top
x-terra steve  
Posted : Saturday, 15 May 2010 1:21:15 PM(UTC)
x-terra steve

Rank: Gold Ingot

Medals: Donation: Made a donation helping cover the running costs of the site - thank you :)

Groups: Registered
Joined: 7/04/2010(UTC)
Posts: 224
Man
Location: Nelson NZ

Thanks: 103 times
Was thanked: 69 time(s) in 42 post(s)
Hi Overdog,
how you doing?

No waka found but I had a dam good look!

The river was the Coilns river, just past the junction where it joins the Whangamoa river.

The Nelson Mail ran several small articles about the paddle,that is the last I have heard about it.

A few of me friends recound that I should have hung on to it but I wanted it put on display for all to see.

Cheers Steve
Back to top
Lammerlaw  
Posted : Thursday, 26 May 2011 5:26:56 AM(UTC)
Lammerlaw

Rank: Gold Ingot

Groups: Registered
Joined: 24/05/2011(UTC)
Posts: 1,721

Thanks: 72 times
Was thanked: 579 time(s) in 396 post(s)
A terrific find and what you did with it was really most admirable...good on you and may you find plenty of gold for as a reward for thoughtful thinking.
Back to top
Lammerlaw  
Posted : Tuesday, 31 May 2011 11:29:18 AM(UTC)
Lammerlaw

Rank: Gold Ingot

Groups: Registered
Joined: 24/05/2011(UTC)
Posts: 1,721

Thanks: 72 times
Was thanked: 579 time(s) in 396 post(s)
Love it - I have collected this sort of stuff since I was a kid - and that wasnt yesterday - In fact I was an early colector licence holder - Number 0028! I think this was an absolutely marvellous find - if I had found it I would have gone Gaa gaa.
What you did with it was also great - good going - as for a reward for what you did with it - may you find many ounces of gold!
Back to top
Lammerlaw  
Posted : Thursday, 2 June 2011 4:31:16 AM(UTC)
Lammerlaw

Rank: Gold Ingot

Groups: Registered
Joined: 24/05/2011(UTC)
Posts: 1,721

Thanks: 72 times
Was thanked: 579 time(s) in 396 post(s)
After the 1981 flood in the river I worked at the time the willow trees were stripped and many gone, all the gorse and broom along the river margin to the height of where the willow trees would haver reached were torn out and gone and in many places bedrock showed where bedrock had never shown before - that was the period of the best gold finds I ever had. Large nuggets were picked up just walking along and watching for the glimmer of yellow. In another part of the same river I got several ounces in several minutes from where a wing dam had been, the flood having stripped part of the wing dam wall away exposing the gold.

I also found a very early shovel blade with a foot and a half of handle on it dating probably to the 1879 era, the shovel blade was riveted and the handle was not straight but cranked.

It does pay to go for walks along the rivers after floods.

Edited by user Thursday, 2 June 2011 4:35:02 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified
Back to top