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Prospecting in Coromandel?

Ronweasel		Posted : Tuesday, 13 May 2014 9:36:33 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Dust Groups: Registered Joined: 13/05/2014(UTC) Posts: 0 Location: Auckland		Hi there, I'm just wanting to check if its legal to pan for gold in the streams and rivers in the coromandel? Can anyone fill me in? Cheers Ron Edited by user Tuesday, 13 May 2014 10:08:56 PM(UTC) \| Reason: Not specified

gjj109		Posted : Tuesday, 13 May 2014 10:34:33 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 14/03/2011(UTC) Posts: 464 Location: Thames Thanks: 217 times Was thanked: 194 time(s) in 115 post(s)		Hi Ronweasel. In theory, it is legal only to pan in public fossicking areas ( all of which are in the South Island) or on your own claim or on some other claim with permission. In practice, as far as I have found on the Coromandel, so long as you are on public land and only using a pan and/or sluice, no one really gives a toss. Good luck out there.

kiwijw		Posted : Wednesday, 14 May 2014 8:21:17 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 28/03/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,152 Thanks: 92 times Was thanked: 658 time(s) in 324 post(s)		Originally Posted by: Ronweasel Hi there, I'm just wanting to check if its legal to pan for gold in the streams and rivers in the coromandel? Can anyone fill me in? Cheers Ron Hi there Ron, Welcome to the forum & the paydirt site. To answer your question: In the eyes of the LAW it is a forbbiden activity to dig, disturb or remove gravels from any creek, stream, river or water course in the Coromandel for what ever reason without consent & permit to do so. I know this from first hand experience after being dobbed in to Enviroment Waikato by a tree hugging, frog arse licking dole bludging greeny type toss pot. Maybe I was getting too close to his dope plot. I was using a small suction dredge but I was miles from any where. Had the land owners permission. He even helped me get my gear in there with a little tractor he had with a lift platform on the back. Got some nice bits of gold too. Either way though I recevied a prosecution notice & possible court action letter from Enviroment Waikato. That put the shyts up me & after a few telephone conversations of me pleading my ignorence & they wanting to meet with me & for me to have a lawyer present. They left me stewing on that for two weeks before I received in the mail a letter advising me that this was my first & only warning & if it was brought to their attention again they would prosecute. Having said that though....as Garry has said above.....most would just turn a blind eye to a pan & sluice box...Just be stealth, use common sense as to leaving things as you found them & just stick to the stream bed itself. No digging down banks etc...but in the eyse of the law it is a no no. Probably not what you wanted to hear but hope it helps. Good luck out there Regards JW :)

mwyatt		Posted : Tuesday, 22 December 2015 11:01:50 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Flake Groups: Registered Joined: 14/12/2015(UTC) Posts: 28 Location: Auckland Thanks: 72 times Was thanked: 15 time(s) in 8 post(s)		Hi JW, If you had the land owners permission, then Enviroment Waikato doesn't have a leg to stand on, as far as I understand the Crown Minerals Act 1991. Section 8: 1 No person may prospect or explore for, or mine, Crown owned minerals in land unless the person— (a) is the holder of a permit granted under this Act which authorises the holder to do so, or is authorised to do so by the holder of such a permit in accordance with the permit, or is otherwise authorised to do so under this Act; 2. Subsection (1)(a) does not apply to the taking by any person of— (a) any Crown owned mineral that— (i) exists in a natural state in land of which the person is an owner or occupier; Unless, the law has some other loophole that I'm not aware off... Cheers, MW