Gold fossicking
Find out what gold fossicking is and if you need a permit to do it.
There are areas in the South Island where you don’t need to have a permit to fossick for gold. There are no fossicking areas in the North Island.
If you want to look for gold outside of the areas in the South Island listed below, you will need a gold mining permit.
What is gold fossicking
Gold fossicking is collecting gold by a stream or river using metal detectors, pans, shovels, picks and sluice boxes.
Areas where you can fossick for gold without a permit
You do not need a permit to fossick for gold in the areas listed in the table below. You must use non-motorised machinery and hand tools.
Alluvial gold, which is found in soil and sediments around rivers and streams, is present in all gold fossicking areas but usually in low concentrations.
You can learn more about the areas by searching the gold fossicking area (GFA) number in our Minerals Permit Webmaps.
Minerals Permit Webmaps — NZP&M
There are no public gold fossicking areas in the North Island.