Nelson Creek Recreation Reserve

Amazing wee place with a swing bridge and caves and old mine to walk round in the bush.Government again could do more to preserve the history of the area but that's typical NZ government if it ain't Maori history it ain't important enough to protect

A gem of a side-trip on the way to Arthur's Pass. Well-maintained picnic area with facilities. Several easy walking trails up to several kilometers through a historic mining location.

25km from Greymouth on the South Island’s West Coast, is Nelson Creek. A gold mining creek first established in 1895. You will also see the Nelson Creek suspension bridge originally built in 1872.This area is designated as a gold fossicking site which provides recreational gold-panning experience for families and others to enjoy for some fun and to hopefully collect a few flakes of gold. Anyone is free to look for gold, no license required, as long as you use non-motorised machinery and hand tools.Originally it was a settlement of 1200 hopeful miners. Because of its weight, gold resides in areas where there is a sudden drop in elevation. Search in between crevices and cracks of bedrock. Gold also settles in areas where the current is slower. ​Search along river bends or around objects like boulders or rocks that obstruct river flow.West Coast, usually gets it's heaviest rainfall in December. Following heavy floods in December, gold will be stirred up in the river.Nelson Creek Gold Mining was discovered by aprospector by the name of Nelson in 1865. The gold found here, turn out to be one of New Zealand's largest finds.Black sands are certainly not proof of the existence of nearby gold, only that the soil has a lot of minerals and heavy metals, one of which is gold.These black sands will settle in a stream the same way that the gold will, so always be on the lookout for high concentrations of it. Get down to the bedrock if you want to find gold! Panning in depths greater than knee-deep is not usually successful. Look for streams with lots of small pebbles and sands in them. Concentrations are often found below minor rapids, and these are the best place to start prospecting.Gold gets dug out of the ground. Then we melt it down, dig another hole, bury it again and pay people to stand around guarding it. Gold has no utility value which is a good thing.In ancient China, who were the first to invent paper money, they are also in the process of creating a digital currency e-CNY in 2021

Have been coming here for a few years now....was very disappointed to arrive this Labour Weekend and find ground hadn't been up kept...the grass was very long and with many families staying one would think that Doc would of came and mowed the grass.. plus the weather has been awesome over the last few weeks so no excuse...the rest of the facility was great ...nice clean toilets and rubbish bins emptied every day

A perfect spot with open, stoney 'hard' sites and beautiful shady spots, so it would be enjoyable camping here in most weather conditions. Restful river scenery and plenty of bird song, especially on the lovely walks. I didn't use the facilities as my small motor home is self contained, but they looked clean and well cared for. The community do a fantastic job monitoring and with the upkeep. There were lots of friendly campers over Labour Weekend but still heaps of space. I was solo travelling and felt totally safe.

We visited in November and loved our short stop-off at Nelson Creek Recreation Park. The scenery was beautiful We were unable to walk across the bridge as the path leading up to it was under water! Better in summer I should imagine.A very restful place for a picnic! Toilets, large car park, play area and a river for skimming stones - what more could you want.

Nice spot, good walks and interesting history.

Great camp with awesome facilities and a fair price, had a great time swimming in the creek. The nearby walks are great too!

Lovely area. We would like to have camped here, bit planed on another stay.... Next time here!. Wild flowing river, swing bridge, historic gold mining area and lovely nature. Not overly maintained, but the camp area and toilet block does keep a good standard. Little off the road but well worth the trip if you like New Zealands nature and history.