South Island Stone Collecting Trip, Part One – Oparara Basin to Lake Tekapo

I have recently returned from a few weeks in the South Island of New Zealand, travelling by car, collecting stones from places like Charleston, Riverton, Orepuki and Birdlings Flat and visiting interesting landscapes like the limestone caves and arches of the Oparara Basin (north of Karamea), Arthurs Pass, Lakes Pukaki and Tekapo, Curio Bay, Waipapa Point, the Moeraki boulders, and the post-earthquake Kaikoura coast. 

One of the first places we stayed at was Karamea in the north Buller region of the West Coast. From there we drove the narrow gravel road north to the Oparara Basin and walked to the Oparara Arch, Moria Gate and other limestone caves and landforms. 

Oparara Arch, towering high up, a limestone feature

The cave beneath Oparara Arch

In the Oparara River, just below the Oparara Arch

Moria Gate, another limestone arch/cave

Looking out of the cave onto the river at Moria Gate

Looking upstream at Moria Gate

Moria Gate limestone, in the cave

Inside the “Crazy Paving Cave”, Oparara Basin – the patterns are made by dried mud

A rare protected native spelungula spider on the wall of the “Box Canyon Cave”, Oparara Basin

We saw a lot of wekas in the Buller/West Coast area – a cheeky native flightless bird. This one was in the Oparara Basin carpark.

I collected a small number of limestone stones from the Oparara River – they appear to have fossilised shells in them.

Going south along the West Coast, beyond Westport is the town of Charleston and its small twin bays, Constant Bay and Joyce Bay. Constant Bay was named after the ketch “Constant” whose Captain, Charles Bonner, in the mid 1860s managed to squeeze the boat into into the tiny bay, bringing supplies for the town that had sprung up due to the discovery of gold. The rocks that line the shore of these bays have large veins of quartz with masses of mica in them. At the northern end of Joyce Bay we came across of pocket of stones and rocks from a vein that must have been almost pure mica. We chose one small boulder-sized rock to bring home.

Constant Bay

Veins of mica-rich quartz in rocks at Constant Bay

Another detail of Joyce Bay mica rock

Masses of mica in rock at Joyce Bay

Mica in quartz vein, Constant Bay

Rock brought home from Joyce Bay. It must be at least 95% mica. Large mica piece at bottom centre, other pieces of mica throughout the rock

Detail of Joyce Bay rock made up primarily of mica

There is so much mica in the rocks around Constant and Joyce Bays that the sea sparkles with it.

One hundred kilometres south of Charleston is Kumara, where we undertook a short walk to see Londonderry Rock.  This enormous 4000 tonne glacial erratic was dislodged by miners while sluicing for gold in the early 1880s. As noted on the information panel at the start of the walk, local legend has it that when it was dislodged from its position it caused earthquake-like shudders that stopped the clock in the post office! 

Information Panel at start of the short walk, near Kumara

4,000 tonnes Londonderry Rock; Petra standing to the right side

Londonderry Rock, towering and massive

Along the track are many large boulders left over from the gold sluicing

Hidden in the bush, large piles of boulder tailings

The clock stopped!

Driving across Arthur’s Pass, we passed Castle Hill, Omarama and Lakes Pukaki and Tekapo.

Castle Hill limestone outcrops

The clay cliffs near Omarama

Omarama’s merino sheep statue

Aoraki/Mt Cook, New Zealand’s highest point

Lake Tekapo

Lake Teakapo, with Aoraki/Mt Cook in the distant clouds

Continued in Part Two.

Author: tumblestoneblog

Retired Academic, male, living in the New Zealand countryside near Whanganui with his wife as well as Jasper the dog, Fluffy the cat, Dancer and Penny, the horses, and a shed half-full of stones. Email john.tumblestone@gmail.com. View all posts by tumblestoneblog