The 'RIP Cuzzy Bro' hunt.

It's been a sad week for the family. My cousin, Joel, son of my Uncle John to whom this blog is dedicated passed away in Brighton, England a few days ago. Thoughts are with the rest of the family in Brighton.

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To blow away a few thoughts and get some one on one with myself I got out my Beach Cobra and spent an hour or so in Henderson Valley Park. A little of the beaten track but a testament to the West Auckland Parks division. Relatively rubbish free, nice clean bark and some very swish equipment installed, though no swings?

It took a while to locate any targets and just as I was thinking it would be a somewhat barren day the Cobra burst in to life and I had a flurry of signals. Mostly spending and as I said very little trash.

So I had a good hour or so and came out with dollars spending......

.......I just found this post like this left half written.I must have forgotten to finish it as I was sent to England to represent the family at my cousins funeral.......I left the next day. It was sad but really good to be there and catch up with a lot of my English family. Thanks to all of them for looking after me so well.


 I would have taken my detector with me but everything happened very fast.

Though I did have some contact in the global detecting world. Whilst in England I visited the house in which I grew up and the owner who had bought the place off of my Mum & Dad still lived there and remembered me.  had metal detected the garden and had found a range of toy trucks and soldiers that I used to have wars with in the front yard. He gave me a truck, that I half remember but maybe I just wanted to, hmmm. Also a good friend up in the North of England, Neil is an avid detectorist so if I ever get over there again I will endeavour to find a Roman coin or to under his guidance.

A quick recap of the past while

This is the first post for a while due to several reasons.The main one being I have been oversea's to attend my cousin Joels funeral. It was Joels father, John, who inspired me to start metal detecting after introducing me to treasure hunting when I was very young. Joel on the few times I met him was a kindred spirit we had a lot in common even though 12000 miles apart. Joel was a tremendous guy full of life and laughter. Sadly no more.

 RIP Cuz and Uncle John.

On return to New Zealand shores my long running back injury then became a hindrance in my treasure searches. I found myself only able to do short hunts up to a 30 minutes. On top of this my PC had decided to die. It has still yet to be resurrected and is in surgery at this very moment. I am typing this up on a very slow lap top which will not allow me to upload pictures. Hopefully I will have it up and running shortly.
I did keep a brief record of my hunts but nothing too startling was found to really justify writing a pictureless narration. All I found was just mainly spending :

Sept 3rd Waima Park Woodlands $6.00
Sept 6th Moire Park, Massey  $6.40
Sept 8th Triangle Road $1.70
Sept 15th Zita Maria & Sarajavo Reserves 0.90c
Sept 17th Ranui Domain $3.90 and an old key

I then went up to my favourite haunt Beachlands to house sit for my brother for a few days. The weather was brutal and having a dog, Nellie (not allowed on beaches much but never more than two feet away from me) in my care I only got out twice on the last two days of my stay the 2nd & 3rd of October. The stormthat week had been huge and I covered the same part of Maraetai Beach as I normally do. The first day during a 90 minute hunt I found $3.90 spending as well as 7 old decimals, 2 x 1 cent, 1 x 2 c,  2 x  5 c, 1 each of 10 & 20 cents. I also found another alum key to add to my growing set of alum keys. Tent pegs were quite common too!
The next day was just a 30 min stroll as my back was giving me some proper gyp. I found another $2.10 spending, also another old 20 cent. Amid all this were two targets that were my finds of the week. They were a 1916 silver 6d and the very last find a 1922 English penny, totally battered, but a nice find and a cool way to end the day.

I also found a dog tag bearing the name 'Marley' with a mobile number inscribed as well as the mutts name. I rung the number and agreed to drop the tag off at the Maraetai coffee shop by the wharf where the owner went every Sunday. The cafe owner knew the dog and the owner concerned and gave me a free coffee. Much appreciated.

I'll post pictures when I am able.

It seems the storm had helped uncover some coins that have been hard to detect until now. This whole beach definitely needs more time on it than I spent. I will return
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Tornado Reserve

My lack of blogs for a couple of weeks is due to the fact I have been having my computer fixed (thanks Jim) and what with guests, visitors, parties and the wet weather my adventures have been few this last fortnight.
I did managed to visit Tornado Reserve in my travels, a quiet little park near the Westpark Marina. It seems quite a while ago now.
The hunt was far from exciting finds wise. I was there for about an hour on one of the more drier days that we have had lately, it was a good way to catch the last of the summer sun.
The finds were  few but I managed another Allen key, another zip part, a small piece of silver chain and $1.30 spending.  The usual washer and jeans button also turned up.

In the interim I have followed up a request I made to detect a local racetrack now owned privately and the written permission should be here soon. Something to look forward to for the lads in the near future.

See you out there.

Mothers Day....thinking of you.

Sunday was another peach of a winters day and a friend Dave who is on his way down to the South Island to do some prospecting came along for a swing. He loaned the Garrett ACE150. First stop after a late lunch was Rawlpindi Reserve in Point Chev.

Dave skirting the edges of a barren Rawlpindi Reserve.

The park was unable to produce anything other than a few nails and the weed mat pins caused havoc. We soon lost interest and headed to the next park. The rocket park in Mt Albert, a big park, a very well populated park but too our disappointment now a rubber mat park. on we trundled. A small park in Sandringham shopping area was next on the list.

Again no luck at all. A rusty hinge being a highlight. The lack of bark left lots of weed mat on show again. The local council must be spending their money on things other than bark.

The constant bing bing bing of Dave's  was getting to me so I headed to the $2 shop to buy the missing plug for the headphones. A snip a $3.50 and good for my demeanour. I do like quiet when I'm awake.

So not a coin between us and a good hour spent on the job.

Balmoral was next. A big park and quite busy. Dave soon had a few kids digging for him but after thirty minutes all we had to show was a little kids brooch which Dave gave to one of the kids anyway. We needed at least one coin before we could go home as per the rules. Luckily in one last sweep a nice little gold $2 coin fell into my hands and we were good to go.

Part of Balmoral Park from across a duel carriageway.

We decided on home and I could feel Dave's disappointment in not reclaiming anything worthwhile.  The evening was closing in but we spotted another park in Owairaka Road.
Dave keen as to get going jumped out the Rav4 and got straight into it. So I pulled over and joined him.

Dave heading for his first ever coin finds, bless.

 We figured we had thirty or so minutes before dusk and as it turned out to be the most giving park of the day we ended up staying till dark. Again the park was threadbare with little or no bark in places but it held a few treasures. I had a good run of smaller coins and another $2 and an Aussi 10 cent. A very cheap kid's ring popped out of the bark as well as a curious piece, one of the very same of a find I had in Manukau Sports Bowl.

Nocturnal Dave trying to squeeze another ten cents out of Mount Albert.

Dave at last, in the murky gloom, found his first $1 coin and was very happy about it. He followed that up with a 10 cent and in the end I had to drag him away. I think he is hooked.

Coinage and tin Ring

Strange bits with hinge

So all up Dave plundered a $1.10 and I managed $4.90. I also had the cheapest of cheap rings and this unknown object pictured below with the one I found earlier. Any one got any ideas what they are?
Someone suggested part of a lock mechanism. Maybe.


See you out there.