Open Ground
The Public Fossicking Areas of the West Coast
19 free goldfields · no permit · Goldsborough & the West Coast, South Island, NZ
Open groundThe prize. Alluvial gold from the rivers of the 1860s rushes
Where. Goldsborough & the West Coast, South Island, NZ
Status. Open ground
Where. Goldsborough & the West Coast, South Island, NZ
Status. Open ground
The account
New Zealand set aside nineteen stretches of its old goldfields where anyone may fossick free, no permit, no fee, nine of them on the wild West Coast. At Goldsborough the diggings of 1865 are now a quiet bush valley where the creek still runs colour. Hand tools, the active streambed, and whatever gold your pan keeps: the law asks nothing else of you.
Leads, where the trail points now
- What you can keep: Alluvial gold from the rivers of the 1860s rushes. Confirm the site's current rules and any day fee before you go.
- Where: Goldsborough & the West Coast, South Island, NZ. DOC public fossicking areas, free, no permit; non-motorised hand tools, active streambed only.
- Best practice: record anything notable, leave the ground as you found it, and check the latest access notices before you travel.
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