The Basic Principle
Gold panning works because gold is heavy — about 19 times denser than water, and much heavier than sand or gravel. By swirling material in water and carefully washing away the lighter stuff, the gold sinks to the bottom and stays behind.
That's it. The technique is simple in theory, but takes practice to do efficiently.
Equipment You Need
Gold Pan
A 14" plastic pan with riffles is ideal for beginners. Black or green shows gold best. ~$20-40
Snuffer Bottle
A squeeze bottle to suck up fine gold flakes. Essential for NZ's flour gold. ~$10
Digging Tools
A small shovel or garden trowel. Crevicing tools help extract material from bedrock cracks.
Step-by-Step Technique
Fill Your Pan
Dig material from a promising spot — behind large boulders, inside bends of the river, or cracks in bedrock. Fill your pan about 2/3 full with gravel and sand.
Submerge and Shake
Lower the pan into water. Shake it vigorously side to side to help heavy materials (gold, black sand) sink to the bottom. Break up any clay clumps.
Wash Off the Rocks
Tilt the pan slightly away from you. Use a gentle circular motion to wash larger rocks over the edge. Gold is heavier — it won't leave with the gravel.
Work the Riffles
With just sand remaining, use the riffles (ridges in the pan) to trap gold. Gentle swirling motions push sand over the riffles while gold stays caught.
Final Cleanup
You should now have a small amount of black sand and (hopefully) gold at the bottom. Add a little water, swirl gently to spread material, and look for colour. Use your snuffer bottle to pick up gold flakes.
💡 Beginner Tips
- • Slow down. Beginners wash away gold by going too fast. Take your time.
- • Practice with lead shot. Buy some fishing split-shot and practice recovering it.
- • Watch for "flour gold." NZ gold is often ultra-fine. If you see black sand, look closely — gold may be hiding in it.
- • Don't throw away your concentrates. Keep the black sand and re-pan at home under better conditions.
Where to Find Gold
Gold accumulates where water slows down:
- Inside bends of the river (slower current = deposit zone)
- Behind large boulders (eddies trap heavy material)
- Bedrock cracks (gold falls in and can't wash out)
- Tree roots in the streambed (natural traps)
- Old flood deposits on banks above current water level
Ready to Try?
Check out our interactive map to find a legal fossicking area near you.
View Fossicking Map →