Lyell Creek Gold Fossicking Area: Fossicking in Buller District, West Coast

Lyell Creek Gold Fossicking Area is a mapped fossicking spot in Buller District, West Coast, New Zealand. Reported finds include gold. Below: coordinates, access notes, and nearby spots.

About Lyell Creek Gold Fossicking Area

Lyell Creek runs past the site of Lyell, a gold-rush town in the Upper Buller Gorge whose townsite is now a large grassed DOC campsite on State Highway 6, 15 km northeast of Inangahua. Part of the creek is a designated gold fossicking area where panning and sluice boxing with hand-held, non-motorised tools need no permit; alluvial gold is present, though concentrations are low. Walking tracks from the campsite reach old gold workings at the Gibbstown settlement (about 2 hours return) and the Alpine Battery site. Sandflies and summer wasps are plentiful in the gorge.

DOC: Lyell campsite →

Quick details

Access: Public area
Area: Buller District
Region: West Coast
Nearest road: State Highway 6
Coordinates: -41.79700, 172.04900

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 Lyell Creek Gold Fossicking Area

Gold Encyclopedia →

Nearby fossicking spots

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

Lyell Creek Gold Fossicking Area FAQ

Where is Lyell Creek Gold Fossicking Area?+

Lyell Creek Gold Fossicking Area is in Buller District, West Coast, New Zealand, at -41.79700, 172.04900. Nearest road: State Highway 6.

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

Lyell Creek Gold Fossicking Area is reported to produce Gold.

Is fossicking allowed at Lyell 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 West Coast

See all 8 West Coast spots →

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