As mentioned in the first Post of this Series, I am undertaking a three-week stone collecting trip to the South Island by car. I am posting up-dates on Facebook for family and friends, as well as in the Facebook Group “New Zealand Lapidary, Rocks, Minerals, Fossils”, then re-posting them here.
Day Eleven, Fourth Visit to Gemstone Beach – Nearly did not undertake this visit this morning as it is cold and wet here. But some of us are crazy! (and have very warm coats!). It was 5 degrees and windy when I arrived at Gemstone Beach at 9.30 am but the wind died down for most of the 90 minutes I was on the beach. Some rain and hail showers passed through. I took only a handful of photos of the scene due to the cold. I took photos of stones later when I got back to the crib at Riverton. These are the six most interesting (to me) stones I found this morning.
A cold grey day on Gemstone Beach.
Product of a hail storm.
Find of the day! I’ve not seen a fossil worm cast stone of this colour before.
Detail of trace fossils.
Highly patterned argillite.
Close-up of argillite.
Hematite jasper, similar to the Stone of the Lockdown.
Close-up of hematite jasper.
A small banded argillite, found on the beach in front of the carpark as I was leaving.
Other side of small banded argillite.
A small stone with polishing potential.
Close-up.
One side of final stone for today.
Other side of final stone for today.
Day Twelve, Fifth Visit to Gemstone Beach – Another cold and wet and windy day, lightning and rainbows and hail all part of the beach experience. But with good wet weather gear on, I managed to stay on the beach for nearly three hours (got to make the most of my time here!).
The carpark at Gemstone Beach.
Gemstone Beach waves today.
These waves churn up the stones as they break and rush up the beach.
Panorama photo of a rainbow over Gemstone Beach.
At least the rain kept all the beach stones wet which meant the colours and patterns in them were easily seen.
I was very disappointed with the photos of my stones today. I took the photos back where I am staying at Riverton, but a lack of sunlight did not help. Here are five of the stones I collected for tumble polishing.
I have been looking out for this type of stone, a deep green argillite with red markings, probably fossil worm traces.
Close-up of trace fossils.
Gorgeous small stone, probably argillite.
Other side of small argillite.
Close-up of small argillite.
Not sure of the type of stone, nor how well it will polish, but I like its markings.
Close-up of previous stone.
Nice small brecciated stone.
Close-up of brecciated stone.
Gorgeous stone, maybe some kind of quartz. Will be interesting to see how tumble polishing wears away the cream material.
Close-up of previous stone.
Day Thirteen, Sixth Visit to Gemstone Beach – Cold again but very little wind and practically no rain, good sunshine, so my photos turned out much better. Spent two and a half hours there, not going too far in either direction from the carpark. Three or four groups of people also on the beach though most did not venture past the Taunoa Stream which was quite high.
Information Display at Orepuki, about one kilometre from Gemstone Beach.
From Information Display.
From Information Display.
From Information Display.
The cliffs of Gemstone Beach, with the Taunoa Stream running high in the foreground. This stream, about 300 metres from the carpark, often stops tourists from going further west along Gemstone Beach. More serious fossickers need to ford it, and it is often not too difficult to do so.
Looking back towards the Taunoa Stream which is at the end of the nearest cliff segment.
The same view as the previous one, but from a different angle.
I found a couple of good hydrogrossular garnets today and a few interesting fossil worm cast stones.
A white hydrogrossular garnet.
A “porcelain-type” hydrogrossular garnet. The dark material is commonly found with these stones.
Argillite with faint fossil worm traces.
Larger argillite stone with typical fossil worm traces.
Small stone with fossil worm trace bisected by dark vein.
Found on the edge of the Taunoa Stream on my way back to the carpark.
I also found a few nice stones for tumble polishing, and one that’s too big bit still worth taking home.
A small stone.
Delicate lines.
Bright colour.
Complex composition.
I call these “marble-type” stones though they are more likely iron-stained quartz. But when polished they look like patterned marble.
Another “marble-type” stone.
Brecciated stone.
This stunning stone is just a little too big to tumble polish so I usually leave ones like these on the beach. As I have my car here, and as this is really very nice, I decided to take it with me as a specimen stone.
Day Fourteen, Seventh Visit to Gemstone Beach – Due to coldness and some fatigue, and to having other commitments in the afternoon, I did not make a Post about this beach visit. I took very few photos on the beach, despite being there for two and a half hours. Here are some of them.
A handful of small stones. Three hydrogrossular garnets and two banded argillites.
Hydrogrossular garnet.
Another hydrogrossular garnet.
Find of the day, a pale quartzite.
Close-up of one side of quartzite.
Other side of quartzite.
Close-up of other side of quartzite.
Day Fifteen, Eighth Visit to Gemstone Beach – Probably my last morning on Gemstone Beach for this trip south. Spent just over three hours on the beach in the company of my sister Helen again. About 10 to 11 degrees, some wind which died down, partly cloudy.
Sunrise over Taramea Bay, Riverton, just outside the crib that is my base. Gemstone Beach is about 30 kilometres away.
Sunrise over Taramea Bay, Riverton, again.
In front of the carpark, Gemstone Beach, a few passing tourists and maybe a fossicker or two.
The “crumbling cliffs” of Gemstone Beach. My green backpack for scale.
Drifting tree roots.
Many blue bottles had been washed up on Gemstone Beach today.
Had a good fossicking morning, finding a very rare fossil coral, a couple of nice hydrogrossular garnets, some fossil worm casts, and a few other stones with promise for tumble polishing.
Top of the fossil coral stone I found. Very rare on Gemstone Beach.
Close-up of top of fossil coral.
Side of fossil coral stone.
Close-up of side of fossil coral stone.
Green hydrogrossular garnet.
Brown hydrogrossular garnet.
Argillite with well-defined fossil worm traces.
One side of small fossil worm cast stone.
Other side of small fossil worm cast stone.
Trace fossils.
Cream coloured argillite with faint fossil worm traces.
Close-up of previous stone.
Likely to tumble polish well.
Close-up.
Small banded argillite stone with fault line.
Close-up of fault line on small banded argillite stone.
Volcanic stone with gaseous bubbles filled with quartz.
Close-up of volcanic stone.
See here for the next Post in this Series.
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
It was so nice to meet you today.
Once again, thank you for your blog, it was only after reading it that I decided I would give tumble polishing a go. It’s such a fun hobby.
Hi Shae. Great to meet you too. Nice to meet someone on the beach with an interest in tumble polishing. It was interesting to see your hydrogrossular earings, well done!