Stay-at-Home Day Thirty-One, Saturday 25 April 2020: Stone Thirty-One

Gemstone Beach, from the car park, Feb 2020.

Gemstone Beach, Feb 2020.

Gemstone Beach, Feb 2020.

Gemstone Beach, Feb 2020.

The stones of Gemstone Beach, Feb 2020.

Today is Anzac Day in New Zealand, our national day of remembrance for those lost in war. Today we travel back to the beach near Orepuki on the southern coast, on Foveaux Strait, across from Rakiura/Stewart Island. There on Gemstone Beach, on Te Waewae Bay, we spot Stone Thirty-One. It is a small delicate light brown and cream stone, probably a jasper, with thin silica veins running through it.

Stone Thirty-One, polished jasper(?) from Gemstone Beach

Other side of Stone Thirty-One.

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Stone Thirty-One is just a tad smaller than a $2 coin.

It has an interesting cream band in the middle, and some cream and light brown stippling. These colours echo the colours of the mud in some of the Gemstone Beach cliffs. 

The eroding cliffs at Gemstone Beach – some of the colours are echoed in Stone Thirty-One. Photo taken April 2016.

Stone Thirty-One detail.

Stone Thirty-One detail.

Top of Stone Thirty-One.

Bottom of Stone Thirty-One.

Stone Thirty-One is one of the smaller Stones of the Day. A couple of tiny holes remain in it – to have tumbled them away would have made the stone even smaller.

Stone Thirty-One detail.

Stone Thirty-One detail.

Stone Thirty-One detail.

Stone Thirty-One detail.

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Stone Thirty-One detail.

Stone Thirty-One detail.

Stone Thirty-One detail.

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The next Post in this Series is Stay-at-Home Day Thirty-Two, Sunday 26 April 2020: Stone Thirty-Two. The first Post is Stay-at-Home Day One, Thursday 26 March 2020: Stone One. 

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