WEST COAST

Located 27km north-northeast of Greymouth, Moonlight Creek takes its evocative name from legend — miners here supposedly worked their claims by moonlight to keep discoveries secret and avoid claim-jumpers. The camping facilities make this ideal for a proper prospecting weekend.

Located 26km east-northeast of Greymouth, Nelson Creek is one of the more reliable West Coast fossicking sites, popular with both beginners and experienced prospectors. Good facilities, productive ground, and old tailings that reward reworking make this an excellent choice for a West Coast trip.

The most well-equipped fossicking site in New Zealand, located 0.5km southwest of Ross. Jones Creek features a visitor centre, walking tracks, interpretation panels, and designated fossicking areas. The nearby Ross Goldfields Heritage Centre is excellent and free. This is the perfect 'introduction' to gold panning — and the ground has history: the famous 'Honourable Roddy' nugget was found in this area.

An extraordinary prospecting location near Franz Josef, where glacial gold deposits meet stunning alpine scenery. The Waiho (meaning 'smoking water' in Māori, referring to mist from the glacier) has been carrying gold from the mountains for millennia. With Mount Cook views and glacier-fed waters, this is prospecting at its most dramatic.

Located 14km northeast of Hokitika, Shamrock Creek features shelters and fireplaces for overnight stays — ideal for a proper prospecting weekend. The creek was part of the rich Kaniere goldfield and still produces fine gold for patient panners.

Located 7km southwest of Reefton, Slab Hut Creek offers excellent walking tracks through historic mining country, camping with fire facilities, and designated fossicking areas in a beautiful rainforest setting. The area was part of the famous Reefton goldfield — the town that brought electric light to the Southern Hemisphere.

Twin streams located 17km northeast of Westport, offering good alluvial gold prospects and pleasant camping in an area that experienced prospectors rate as underexplored. Less crowded than Otago or central West Coast sites, these streams reward those willing to venture further afield.