GOLD PANNING EXPERIENCE

Gold Panning Experiences

Two men are looking at a large piece of equipment filled with small rocks in an indoor setting with wooden and white walls.

POPULAR
CHOICE

Premium Experience - From $79NZD

Dive deep into Hokitika's 1860s gold rush with a guided intro, live sluice demonstration, and hands-on panning — uncovering guaranteed real West Coast gold. Your gold is then sealed in a handcrafted wooden display coaster, a $50 keepsake you'll treasure forever.

    • Live demonstrations of sluice box and gold wheel

    • More hands-on activities

    • More gold to find

    • Deeper gold rush storytelling 40 minutes (approx)

    • Guaranteed gold!

  • 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

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Person holding a black round sieve filled with wet small stones and gravel over a water surface.

Intro Experience - From $39NZD

A fun, easy introduction to finding real West Coast gold. You'll be guided through the techniques, pan your own paydirt, and walk away with guaranteed gold flecks sealed in a take-home vial.

    • Perfect for families, first-timers, and curious travellers

    • Quick hands-on experience

    • 20 minutes (approx) Available for a limited time.

    • Guaranteed gold!

  • 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM

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Winter Daily Schedule

9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Premium Experience

Intro Experience

10:00 AM - 10:30

Discover Hokitika’s Legendary Gold Rush Heritage

In 1864, gold was discovered near the Taramakau River — and Hokitika was never the same again. Within two years, it was the most populous town in New Zealand, packed with prospectors, traders, and adventurers who'd come from across the world chasing a glint in the gravel.

They worked by hand. Panning, sluicing, washing river gravel until something real appeared. The gold they found was some of the purest on earth — deep yellow, heavy, unmistakable.

By the 1900s, industrial dredges were working the same rivers. The gold rush eventually faded, but the gold remains.

Polish & Pan exists to put that experience back in your hands. Same rivers, same techniques, same thrill — just without the mud (mostly).

An abandoned gold mining dredge partially submerged in water with trees in the background.

Photograph of the Rimu Gold Dredging Company's gold dredge near Hokitika, West Coast, taken by an unidentified photographer in the 1920s.

Shop Our Gold Coaster

Hand made in Hokitika, New Zealand, this coaster holds genuine West Coast gold panned on the Robinson family farm — real alluvial gold from the ground it was found in, not plated, not imitation.

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Something new is coming to Polish & Pan... A hands-on West Coast experience unlike anything we’ve offered before. Any guesses what it is? 👇👀
If you’ve been meaning to pop in..this is your sign ✨ We really do have the best customers! Every review helps, and when the response is this kind, we know we're doing something right!! 💛 The Polish & Pan team #hokitika #mustdonz #trus
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of trying something new for the first time..Finding gold at the bottom of your pan is no exception!! 💛 At Polish & Pan, we guarantee gold..A little bit of West Coast magic, without leaving it up to l
100 reviews… and every single one 5 stars!! Pretty chuffed team 😁 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We honestly can’t thank everyone enough for the support, kind words, laughs, and yarns! It wouldn’t be possible without every single person who has w
We put a lot of care into the environment we want create and what our customers experience, so reading these never gets old. Thank you for trusting us with your time! 💛 Polish & Pan team