Aorere River Gold Fossicking Area: Fossicking in Tasman District, Tasman

About Aorere River Gold Fossicking Area

Two stretches of the Aorere River southwest of Collingwood are set aside as public gold fossicking areas, where panning and sluice boxing with non-motorised hand tools need no permit. Area A sits about 15 km from Collingwood on Aorere Valley Road beyond Bainham, and Area B lies roughly 30 km up the valley near the northern end of the Heaphy Track. The valley hosted New Zealand's first major goldfield, rushed in 1857 when some 2,500 diggers spread out from Collingwood to work the alluvial gravels. At nearby Rockville, the DOC-managed Aorere Goldfields preserve 1880s ground-sluicing claims on a walk-or-bike loop from the goldfields car park.

DOC: Aorere Goldfields Conservation Area →

Quick details

Access

Public area

Area

Tasman District

Region

Tasman

Nearest road

Aorere Valley Road

Coordinates

-40.75430, 172.61700

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 Aorere River Gold Fossicking Area

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