New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

Many land owners are quite happy to allow people to look for gold - indeed I was invited by a farmer within about ten miles of Palmerston to go gold prospecting on his property whenever I wanted...but that was yesterday.

Today many people bring discredit to gold prospecting and mining - on my next door neighbours property I have observed three separate groups actively gold mining in the same weekend and can guarantee that not one of them had permission. On my property I have caught three separate detectorists (Is that a word)looking for gold and once again in all cases without permission. That gives everyone a bad name.

Over the years I have got fed up with peoples inconsiderate behaviour - the best people are deer hunters - without fail every one has asked permission, pig hunters are fifty fifty - I have eight key holders to my gate and they have permission to be there to hunt pigs. Gold fossickers are also notorious for not asking permission - as I said above I have caught metal detector gold fossickers on my place and not one has asked. It is 9k by track down to the bottom end so plenty of places for them to be and not be spotted but it is troublesome getting there in the first place.

I am also not a farmer - I bought my place to protect my right to go hunting and gold mining without being hassled by land owners and to ensure that my kids, friends and I had a place to go and do these things for as long as I saw fit.

Yes there are those who sneak in in stealth mode - and yes I do generally catch them and I am a nasty one to cross after all it does not hurt to ask and if the answer is no then there is a reason one way or another and there are virtually thousands of other places to go. My son found a spot in Central last Christmas where my metal detector never stopped and in a short time he had a good amount of gold...I may go back with him this summer but am waiting for a friend to come from overseas so we can take him and guarantee his success with a nice souvenir to take home with him.

Gidday Lammerlaw



So does this mean if we ask your permission Lammerlaw you will allow us to detect on your property??....LOL... it sounds like theres enough gold there for everyone.

I think its sad that here in gods own New Zealand our right of access is being eroded at an alarming rate.
As 'Simon' said most land owners (and they are rare to be able to talk to) or there farm managers dont even want to listen & simply say no.
It is these very same hypocritical people that when they were young, could do & did do as they pleased around our beautiful countryside exploiting NZ for all its resources.And if chaseing gold was what they enjoyed there were no access issues or "Stataion Holders" as they so righteously like to call themselves now a days,giving keys to a chosen few & locking down large tracts of land from all outdoor recreational users....surely they have not forgotten about the freedom they grew up with.

Yes I fully respect Landowners & the access problems they have to deal with,I have been a professional fly fishing guide for many years,so dealing with land owners has been something I have done alot of,from my experience there are those who think they own a miny 'Kingdom' & there are those who understand they are custodians of an amazing resource,& they are are willing to comunicate with someone who would like to gain access onto there property, if they clearly state all there intentions...is this really to much to ask???

Eagle

I will not allow anyone to mine on my place whatsoever - do you want a reason? I shall tell you - I allowed one bloke to get close to me, twenty years before I allowed him to come to our place - in a short time he got quite a fair bit of gold. He was also taken to my other secret spots then went and got a key to the gate so he could go back as he saw fit...I felt that was a betrayal and let down. I took another person up to a gold reef where some specimen gold is picked up - he got a little and so he to went back behind my back. I allowed another person to use the house (if you can call it that) and they took some gold I had on the window ledge - it was found by my nephew the weekend before he was killed and just left there as a memorial to him...but it was stolen by a low life
I did something that most others do not bother doing - I saw the way this country was going and I wanted to have somewhere to go hunting and go mining without asking permission - so I bought the entire sheep run when the landowner told me he was going to sell it - in other words I paid good money to ensure I had somewhere to go gold mining. Now you or anyone else can do that. Initially I took anyone who wanted to go gold mining but found that some abused the right - if I now say no to everyone then I cannot be let down...simple really.
Unlike most high country property it is also freehold and not leasehold. I have also done my thing for you and all New Zealanders - I have retired 2/3rds from any farming practice and placed it into a covenant to protect it as it is home of three types of orchid that I have seen, native Falcons and Jewelled Geckos. I allow trampers and hikers access but no gold mining or hunters except those already designated

You are also very wrong saying that people like me are hypocritical - It does not pay to allow people onto your property for any number of reasons now. Do a bit of research into liability, OSH (criminals)- farmers are scared to allow people access because they can be held liable for your carelessness. Its the way in which YOU and all of us NZers have allowed the politicians to bring in draconian laws that make it undesirable to allow access because of the consequences. When I do allow people onto my property they are instructed that if they take their vehicles down past a certain spot they will never be given permission again - Reason? It is dangerous and if I dont warn them then I may be liable.

When we were young yes we did what we wanted because the laws and restrictions and penalties were not in place then that are now...but the criminals who run this country have changed all that. Once upon a time if someone fell down a mine hole it was "Poor old Paddy" they took a hat around for Paddys wife and ten kids and that was the end of the story - today it is NOT Paddys fault that HE fell down the mine hole - its the farmers - even if he didnt know that particular mine hole was there. The government, OSH, police, Labour Department all want to sue someone and you say its hypocrisy! It just aint 'Gods own country' anymore.

As for enough gold for everyone - really? Keep in mind that what is taken out is no longer there and what is there is harder to find. There are far better places than mine to go - remember that I have been looking there for forty years
.
If you want another way of looking at it - can I come and harvest the carrots from your garden or dig up a couple of sacks of spuds or grab a melon or two - if you dont let me then arent you being a little hypocritical wanting to take value from my place but not allowing me to take value from yours? If you dont see the analogy then the Judge did in the case where a person removed mushrooms form the farmers paddock, was followed to town by the farmer who then took vegetables form the garden of the mushroom picker, was charged with theft by the police following a complaint by mushroom picker and it got thrown out of court when the farmer explained why he did it..tit for tat!

Edited by user Friday, 27 May 2011 5:33:13 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Further to what I said and which is mentioned here re buying land...I note that a lot of fellows on here seem to get on well and have a good rapport with each other. Yes you are right about the price of land - I bought my place for under six figures and today well over the seven figures but saying that everything is proportional and land to do your own thing on is not beyond the reach of you. Why cant guys form a syndicate and everyone putting in a certain amount buy a large property well known for its gold. The property itself can be leased out to relieve the financial burden the income being distributed in proportion to the amount invested or the property used as a game park or similar to bring in another source of revenue. This means that the syndicate members do have somewhere to go - camping, tramping, time out, an income from detector tutoring taking out newcomers to the game at a charge and a lot of possibilities - just a suggestion>

With a kind offer like that I have to assume that your back yard is a concrete jungle!

If it isnt and the offer was genuine I would have to decline with thanks as I never take what aint mine and always pay my way - do my own thing and never infringe on others.

Some how I dont think you have a clue what I am like but I am glad that you think that I 'sound like a good boy.' The statement also sounds a bit patronising me thinks!

Edited by user Friday, 27 May 2011 2:15:22 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Yes indeed - the best of advice and I must admit that as unapproachable as I am I have melted under the personalities of the odd person and allowed them a one off...not so much gold, and never gold if their detector is better than a minelab 1700 but if they have an older detector or they are just panning and they approach me personally then I may allow a day.
I have only ever once if I remember correctly allowed a hunter on over the phone - the reason was that he phoned me when he was reading the trespass notice on the gate to say he thought it was DOC land, saw the sign with a phone number and was phoning accordingly - I admired that sort of honesty so told him to hop over the fence and have a great day. It seemed a shame after he had gone all that way and was decent enough to phone.
Face to face works more often than not.

Edited by user Monday, 30 May 2011 1:58:07 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Think of it from your perspective if you were a landowner who actively looks for gold and purchased a place to protect your rights and the rights of friends. Once you have considered this do a bit of research - liability laws, trespass, giving rights of entry and the responsibilities of the landowner and all of the issues relating to OSH and legal issues with allowing access - now be totally honest - would you give right of entry? If you knew the implications I would think not!

The animal health authority get right of entry for Opossum control - everything is signed on an official form and the farmer or land owner has to list the points that the contractor should be aware of, mine shafts other pitfalls and so on.

Did you see the big trouble a farmer had when he requested a shearer remove his daughter form the shearing shed and she had an accident - the fault was not placed on the father when it should have been but on the farmer for not staying to see his instructions carried out - he carried the can. It simply does not pay in this day and age to allow others, unknown others especially, onto your land.

You look at it from a very much one sided perspective methinks and a shallow perspective at that without due consideration to the landowners responsibilities letting you on. If he doe not let you on then he has no worries and no responsibilities.

Back fifty years ago if Joe Bloggs drove off a two hundred foot precipice it was HIS fault for driving carelessly - but today it is the farmers...for not warning Joe Bloggs the drop was there and it is the farmer who gets dragged through the court.

Personally I believe that all leasehold and crown owned land should be open to all without restriction and that landowners cannot be held liable for your accident or anyone elses accident - that would make things a lot simpler and free up access to a lot of country.

Edited by user Monday, 30 May 2011 2:01:13 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

We dont really have a democracy here any more - largely for the reasons I have already stated - our rights, whether landowner or otherwise are being continually eroded and thats a real shame.

Many landowners would happily gve permission but are scared to do so because of the laws pertaining to access and the consequences of accidents or mishap.

As far as gold prospecting is concerned I am now totally against groups of guys getting together and claiming multiple ks of rivers. That might sound a bit hypocritical because we had three claims totally aobut 20k but we did allow all thoase who asked if they could go to look for gold to do so and that, in those days was without exception. We claimed those claims to ensure we could go there but not to deny others to go there. One of those claims I would like to go there yet as there are spots I would like to work but one of the people we allowed to go there has now claimed it and I would not ask him if I could go to my old haunts to look - different personalities I guess. The reason I disagree with individuals and small groups taking out huge claims is that it prevents a great deal more people from enjoying the great outdoors.

I also consider it unfair that the state has not brought in a system whereby certain areas are put aside for the public. Some of these areas could include leasehold runs or stations where gold is known to be found, rivers such as the Arrow, Moke and Moonlight where virtually anyone can find gold and other popular areas where people like to go...these areas should be excempt from claiming so that everyone has a chance. In the case where leasehold land is opened up for weekend prospectors there should be excemptions for hte leasee so that all those who enter do so at their own risk...but that should exist everywhere in any case.