Five Mile Creek Gold Fossicking Area: Fossicking in Queenstown-Lakes District, Otago

Five Mile Creek Gold Fossicking Area is a mapped fossicking spot in Queenstown-Lakes District, Otago, New Zealand. Reported finds include gold. Below: coordinates, access notes, and nearby spots.

About Five Mile Creek Gold Fossicking Area

Five Mile Creek falls to Lake Wakatipu beside the Glenorchy road about 5 km west of Queenstown, and a section of it is a designated public gold fossicking area listed by New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals. It is one of four fossicking areas in the Queenstown basin, alongside the Arrow River, the Shotover at Tucker Beach and Twelve Mile Creek. Fossicking is limited to non-motorised hand tools such as pans, shovels and sluice boxes within the mapped boundary, and swimming spots and short walks lie nearby.

NZP&M: public gold fossicking areas →

Quick details

Access: Public area
Area: Queenstown-Lakes District
Region: Otago
Nearest road: Glenorchy-Queenstown Road
Coordinates: -45.02300, 168.58800

Land & fossicking status

Generally open to casual fossicking

Public-tagged New Zealand spots are usually designated public gold fossicking areas under the Crown Minerals Act or beaches where casual collecting of loose stones is accepted. Hand tools only, and check local conditions before you dig.

Stay inside public fossicking areas for gold panning, use hand tools only, and treat DOC reserves and national parks as closed to collecting. Pounamu (greenstone) in the South Island is owned by Ngai Tahu, and collecting it is prohibited apart from a limited beach find you can carry out by hand in one trip.

New Zealand public gold fossicking areas (NZP&M) →

Found at Five Mile Creek Gold Fossicking Area

Gold Encyclopedia →

Nearby fossicking spots

Other fossicking spots in New Zealand within driving distance of Five Mile Creek Gold Fossicking Area.

Five Mile Creek Gold Fossicking Area FAQ

Where is Five Mile Creek Gold Fossicking Area?+

Five Mile Creek Gold Fossicking Area is in Queenstown-Lakes District, Otago, New Zealand, at -45.02300, 168.58800. Nearest road: Glenorchy-Queenstown Road.

What rocks and minerals can you find at Five Mile Creek Gold Fossicking Area?+

Five Mile Creek Gold Fossicking Area is reported to produce Gold.

Is fossicking allowed at Five Mile Creek Gold Fossicking Area?+

Generally open to casual fossicking. Public-tagged New Zealand spots are usually designated public gold fossicking areas under the Crown Minerals Act or beaches where casual collecting of loose stones is accepted. Hand tools only, and check local conditions before you dig. Public gold fossicking areas allow hand-tool panning without a permit, but DOC reserves, national parks, and pounamu are off-limits, so always confirm land access before a trip.

More fossicking in Otago

See all 5 Otago spots →

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