Slab Hut Creek Gold Fossicking Area: Fossicking in Buller District, West Coast

Slab Hut 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 Slab Hut Creek Gold Fossicking Area

Slab Hut Creek was worked for gold in the Reefton field, and the old diggings now hold a DOC campsite in Victoria Forest Park, reached by a gravel road off State Highway 7 about 10 km south of Reefton. Part of the creek is a designated fossicking area running from the camping area downstream, where panning with hand tools needs no permit. The spot is popular enough that DOC has twice had to remediate damage where fossickers cut into the creek banks; digging is limited to the active streambed. The campsite also serves as a base for Victoria Forest Park walks.

DOC: Slab Hut Creek campsite →

Quick details

Access: Public area
Area: Buller District
Region: West Coast
Nearest road: State Highway 7
Coordinates: -42.15610, 171.79230

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 Slab Hut Creek Gold Fossicking Area

Gold Encyclopedia →

Nearby fossicking spots

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

Slab Hut Creek Gold Fossicking Area FAQ

Where is Slab Hut Creek Gold Fossicking Area?+

Slab Hut Creek Gold Fossicking Area is in Buller District, West Coast, New Zealand, at -42.15610, 171.79230. Nearest road: State Highway 7.

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

Slab Hut Creek Gold Fossicking Area is reported to produce Gold.

Is fossicking allowed at Slab Hut 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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