Shamrock Creek (Goldsborough) Gold Fossicking Area: Fossicking in Westland District, West Coast

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

About Shamrock Creek (Goldsborough) Gold Fossicking Area

Shamrock Creek runs through Goldsborough, the site of a vanished 1860s gold town where hundreds of diggers once sluiced the shallow workings. The fossicking area sits beside the DOC Goldsborough campsite, reached by turning off State Highway 6 at Awatuna, 17 km from Hokitika, and following Stafford Loop Road to its end. Fossickers pan the creek gravels near the campground with hand tools, and the gold comes as hard-won specks rather than nuggets. The Goldsborough (Shamrock) Track heads upstream past mining tunnels, sluice faces, tailings, dams and water races.

DOC: Goldsborough campsite →

Quick details

Access: Public area
Area: Westland District
Region: West Coast
Nearest road: Stafford Loop Road
Coordinates: -42.67420, 171.13040

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 Shamrock Creek (Goldsborough) Gold Fossicking Area

Gold Encyclopedia →

Nearby fossicking spots

Other fossicking spots in New Zealand within driving distance of Shamrock Creek (Goldsborough) Gold Fossicking Area.

Shamrock Creek (Goldsborough) Gold Fossicking Area FAQ

Where is Shamrock Creek (Goldsborough) Gold Fossicking Area?+

Shamrock Creek (Goldsborough) Gold Fossicking Area is in Westland District, West Coast, New Zealand, at -42.67420, 171.13040. Nearest road: Stafford Loop Road.

What rocks and minerals can you find at Shamrock Creek (Goldsborough) Gold Fossicking Area?+

Shamrock Creek (Goldsborough) Gold Fossicking Area is reported to produce Gold.

Is fossicking allowed at Shamrock Creek (Goldsborough) 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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