FB Group Posts: 8, 10 & 11 May 2021 – Helen’s Stones, Gemstone Beach Stones, and Riverton/Aparima Stones

Here are three more of my recent Posts in the Facebook Group “New Zealand Lapidary, Rocks, Minerals, Fossils”. The first Post in this Series is here.

Saturday 8 May 2021: Ten selected tumble-polished stones from a 4lb barrel. These stones were found on Gemstone Beach (Orepuki, Southland) by my sister Helen who sometimes accompanies me on my fossicking trips. All are currently in the post to her in Gore.

Quartz stone with black mineral inclusions.

Same stone with a light behind it.

Volcanic, some amygdales.

Probably argillite, with a small mica flake at top.

One of the smaller stones.

Another small stone.

The larger stones in the 4lb barrel. Largest would be about 6 cms.

The smaller stones in the 4lb barrel, $2 coin at top right for size.

Sunday 9 May 2021: This is the day I made a Post in the Group’s Alphabetical Series – “B” is for “Botryoidal Chalcedony” – see this Post.

Monday 10 May 2021: Someone once wrote: “A smooth striped stone found in the bottom of my coat pocket transports me back to a beach walk. I can hear the pebbles crunching underfoot, and imagine the view out to sea as I make my way slowly along, scanning the tideline, which is tumbled with shells, driftwood, seaweeds and tattered feathers…” (page 7 of Angie Lewin’s “Introduction” to “The Book of Pebbles: From Prehistory to the Pet Shop Boys”, written by C. Stocks, illustrated by A. Lewin, 2019). Below are photos of six tumble-polished stones, collected on Gemstone Beach (Orepuki, Southland) earlier this year. Just out of the barrel yesterday.

Quartzite.

Probably iron-stained quartz/quartzite.

Volcanic stone with crystals, probably a porphyry composed of black basalt and white feldspar.

Probably a small quartzite.

On the beach, this looked like petrified wood, but is probably quartzite again.

Another quartzite, the intense green likely to be epidote.

Tuesday 11 May 2021: Six small tumble-polished stones from Riverton/ Aparima, Southland. I picked up these at places like the Back Beach, the beach just beyond the Back Beach, and Henderson Bay.

The six small tumble-polished stones from Riverton/Aparima.

Not sure what kind of stone this is.

Jasper-agate.

Could be quartzite.

A different type of quartzite.

Likely to be yet anaother type of quartzite.

Don’t know what this stone is.

Back Beach, Riverton/Aparima.

The Back Beach is just around the corner from here.

Riverton/Aparima is situated 30 kms east of Gemstone Beach (Orepuki) and 40 kms west of Invercargill. This small town is the oldest pakeha settlement in Southland, a whaling station having been established there in the mid-1830s with land-based economic activity replacing that by the 1850s. Riverton Rocks (Taramea Bay, Mitchell’s Bay and Henderson Bay) became an important seaside holiday destination. My grandparents owned a crib (bach) at Henderson Bay from the late 1950s/early 1960s and I spent many Christmas holidays there.

The next Post in this Series is here.

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