Dirtfishing Newbie Hobbit from New Zealand Reporting In

fiboze said:

Hi all.

I'm a total newbie, awaiting delivery of my first detector - a Minelab 505 X-terra. Couldn't afford the 705 without selling an organ, so I settled for this one after days of researching. What's more, I'm blonde, so reading the instruction manual oughta be a challenge.

Any advice on starting out with the minimum of tools (treasure/relic/coin hunting) would be gratefully received. Looking forward to finding chestfuls of gold coins on my first foray.

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fiboze said:

Thank you all for your kind welcomes.

Yes I do have a specific question Gary - in lieu of using a Japanese garden knife as a digging accoutrement, will a bread and butter knife do the job almost as well? Do I leave the butter on as a lubricating aid?

This really is a complex hobby, isn't it? What the heck have I done???

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fiboze said:

Thank you kindly Pan.

Gary - as soon as I've paid off the mortgage on my detector I'll look into one of them beautiful diggery things.

I had a quick squiz around the websites locally and found digi digi mini Japanese garden knives. Their blades are 12cm long. Their prices would suit my budget, once the bank stops laughing at me. Would one of those be appropriate or would they be too short and inevitably drive me to murder the nearest unfortunate soul in my vicinity?

The trouble with living in hobbitous regions on the other side of earth is that the satisfaction of ordering things from overseas at great prices is nullified by the horrendous postage us hobbits have to pay to receive the durned things. And it's a heck of a long way to swim to go fetch it yourself.

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MrNovice said:

That Fiskers digger has a lifetime warranty and they have a distributor in New Zealand.

I'd suggest a decent pinpointer and watch some videos on Youtube about people hunting with your detector so you can see how it will react (sounds, get some tips) so you'll be familiar with what to expect before it arrives.

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fiboze said:

Thanks Novice. I did a search on Fiskars in NZ but the knives don't appear to be here. I will get a pinpointer one day, but it will have to get in line with the rest of the stuff I can't afford right now. I'm sure all will be well once I find that chest of gold.

Yep, been looking at videos with glee and abandon while anticipating the arrival of my toy - I mean tool. I am a very excited little hobbit.

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fiboze said:

Thanks Smokey.

Gary - yes, that's the one. As an experiment I just wandered around Amazon a little. What would cost you guys $45 with shipping over in the US would cost me $62.50, plus probably a phone call from NZ Customs, demanding to know why I'm importing a potential deadly weapon. They're renowned for being quite serious chaps over here - having your sense of humour AND humanity surgically removed is apparently a prerequisite of the job - and I'm not sure I want to tangle with them.

Actually, I was surprised at the shipping cost - normally it's around the $30 mark for a book. A small book. One with the covers removed.

A Lesche digging tool is $80 plus postage in NZ. I may have to sell one of my children. (Tries to decide which is the least favourite)

So at the moment, bread and butter knife plus spoon will have to do. It's a tough life living in Paradise.

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fiboze said:

Thanks Novice. I did a search on Fiskars in NZ but the knives don't appear to be here. I will get a pinpointer one day, but it will have to get in line with the rest of the stuff I can't afford right now. I'm sure all will be well once I find that chest of gold.

Yep, been looking at videos with glee and abandon while anticipating the arrival of my toy - I mean tool. I am a very excited little hobbit.

Click to expand...