Five Mile Creek INTEL
Five Mile Creek flows into Lake Wakatipu just a few minutes from Queenstown. While often overshadowed by its famous neighbor, Twelve Mile Creek, it offers a quieter, more intimate prospecting experience. If you're tired of the crowds at the Arrow or the Delta, Five Mile is your sanctuary. It's a steep, boulder-choked stream that requires some scrambling, but the rewards are there for the persistent.
Mission Profile
Discovery Metrics
Operational Gear
Stratigraphy & History
Five Mile was prospected as early as 1862 during the initial rush to the Wakatipu basin. Unlike the "Golden Arrow," Five Mile never sustained a massive tent city, largely because the gold was harder to win from the boulder-filled bed. Most of the early work was done by individual diggers and small parties who preferred the independence of a smaller creek over the frantic competition of the main rivers. Many of the old stone walls you see in the bush were built by these solitary miners to channel the water.
Geological Context
The gold here is typical of the Wakatipu schist — coarse and "ragged," suggesting it hasn't traveled far from its source in the hills. Look for the "pay layer" of gravel sitting directly on the blue schist bedrock. The best gold is often trapped under massive boulders in the stream bed which have acted as natural riffles for thousands of years. You'll need a pry bar and some muscle to get to the good stuff.
Field Note
CONFIDENTIAL PRO-INTEL
Verified Sector Secret
"About 200m upstream from the track crossing, there's a sharp bend with a high rock wall. Dig the inside of that bend — I've found consistent colour there even when the rest of the creek was dry."
Economic Potential
Historical yield data suggests unrecovered fines at depth. Optimal for small-scale suction or high-banking if permitted.
Trade Gold
Leverage spot price movements globally while you're in the field.