Moonlight Creek Gold Fossicking Area: Fossicking in Grey District, West Coast

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

About Moonlight Creek Gold Fossicking Area

Moonlight Creek drains the southern Paparoa Range into the Grey Valley and carries a public gold fossicking area, reached from the Atarau side of the Grey River northeast of Greymouth via Moonlight Valley Road to Andersons Flat. DOC requires fossickers here to stay within the active streambed and use hand tools only. From Andersons Flat the historic Moonlight Pack Track heads upvalley past walls of stacked stone tailings from old gold claims and the remains of the Moonlight quartz stamping battery above the river. Blue duck (whio) are sometimes seen along the riverbed.

DOC: Moonlight Pack Track →

Quick details

Access: Public area
Area: Grey District
Region: West Coast
Coordinates: -42.30030, 171.45380

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 Moonlight Creek Gold Fossicking Area

Gold Encyclopedia →

Nearby fossicking spots

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

Moonlight Creek Gold Fossicking Area FAQ

Where is Moonlight Creek Gold Fossicking Area?+

Moonlight Creek Gold Fossicking Area is in Grey District, West Coast, New Zealand, at -42.30030, 171.45380.

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

Moonlight Creek Gold Fossicking Area is reported to produce Gold.

Is fossicking allowed at Moonlight 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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