Golden win at gold panning championships

Queenstown gold-panning enthusiast Stu Ide won gold in the national championships for the first time in his 15 competitive years at the weekend.

Ide said he was very delighted to win New Zealand Gold Panning Championships held during the Arrowtown Autumn Festival on Sunday.

‘‘I’ve never been a champion in anything my whole life.’’

Ide said it would normally take him about one minute and 30 seconds to turn a bucket of dirt into gold.

His secret was not to rush. ‘‘You have your time and work your way through it,’’ he said.

He was surprised about the win as he hadn’t had much practice prior the event.

‘‘I was really tired - I had a long weekend, it was my daughter’s wedding as well,’’ he said.

However, cheers and support from extended family had helped Ide win, he said.

Ide competed in a few categories, including a team championship with daughter Megan, where they came second.

Ide will now represent New Zealand at the World Championships, in Scotland, in August.

‘‘You have to be well practiced for that one,’’ Ide said.

Event organiser Terry Davies said it was exciting to see Ide finally take the win.

‘‘Stu is well-known and has been involved [in gold panning] for about a decade. It’s very exciting for him,’’ Davies said.

Gold panning events at Butlers Green had a great turnout, Davies said.

‘‘It’s one of the sports where men, women, juniors and teams can compete equally in the same field.’’

The championships were part of the annual Arrowtown Autumn Festival activities, which included a street parade, dog show and an art exhibition.

First time Arrowtown’s Autumn Festival co-ordinator Carole Watts said thousands of people on the streets were positive, making organisation much easier.

About 10,000 people watched Saturday’s street parade.

‘‘The cars were parked through all of Arrowtown and the place was chocker,’’ Watts said.

This year, the 40 registered entries for the parade put a lot of effort into them, she said.

‘‘I think the quality of the floats was amazing this year. Community groups are making bigger and bigger efforts with their floats.’’

The previously sold-out event, Pie, Pint and Pinot, was also popular with attendees, who enjoyed live music and outdoor entertainment while sipping on their wine, Watts said. ‘‘We increased our licence slightly which allowed us to let more people in.’’

About 50 locals had volunteered their time to make this year’s sixday Arrowtown Autumn Festival a possibility, she said.