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

Twelve 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 Twelve Mile Creek Gold Fossicking Area

Twelve Mile Creek enters Lake Wakatipu at Twelve Mile Delta, 12 km west of Queenstown on the Glenorchy road, and a designated public gold fossicking area covers part of the creek. The delta holds a large DOC campsite on the old river flats, with a sealed road in from the highway, and nearby tracks such as the Mt Crichton Loop thread through country scattered with relics of the Wakatipu gold rush. The delta also stood in for Ithilien Camp in the Lord of the Rings films. Only non-motorised hand tools may be used within the mapped boundary.

DOC: Twelve Mile Delta campsite →

Quick details

Access: Public area
Area: Queenstown-Lakes District
Region: Otago
Nearest road: Glenorchy-Queenstown Road
Coordinates: -45.03050, 168.50110

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 Twelve Mile Creek Gold Fossicking Area

Gold Encyclopedia →

Nearby fossicking spots

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

Twelve Mile Creek Gold Fossicking Area FAQ

Where is Twelve Mile Creek Gold Fossicking Area?+

Twelve Mile Creek Gold Fossicking Area is in Queenstown-Lakes District, Otago, New Zealand, at -45.03050, 168.50110. Nearest road: Glenorchy-Queenstown Road.

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

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

Is fossicking allowed at Twelve 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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