Southern Sojourn 2023(10): Foam and Stones, Gemstone Beach, Tuesday 7 February

Post 10 https://tumblestoneblog.wordpress.com/2023/02/08/southern-sojourn-foam-and-stones-gemstone-beach-tuesday-7-february/

Post 11 https://tumblestoneblog.wordpress.com/2023/02/12/southern-sojourn-waimeamea-river-obstacle-gemstone-beach-thursday-9-february/

Post 12 https://tumblestoneblog.wordpress.com/2023/02/12/southern-sojourn-surprises-and-revelations-gemstone-beach-friday-10-february/

Post 13 https://tumblestoneblog.wordpress.com/2023/02/15/southern-sojourn-big-wave-my-friend-gemstone-beach-saturday-11-february/

Post 14 https://tumblestoneblog.wordpress.com/2023/02/15/southern-sojourn-fine-weather-fossicking-gemstone-beach-monday-13-february/

Poor weather kept me off the beach for a couple of days and the forecast was not good for the next two or three days either, so I decided to brave the elements and head out to Gemstone Beach. It was windy with periodic showers of rain, though the temperature was around 15 degrees. It was a difficult fossick, there being not much sun, and the rain got under my coat hood onto my glasses from time to time, obscuring my vision. Furthermore, there was lots of foam on the beach, coming in on the waves and being blown about by the wind, sometimes up to three-quarters of a metre deep.

Foam on Gemstone Beach today.

Stones between the foam.

When the sun came out, the stones lit up.

The 49 stones I collected from Gemstone Beach today.

The 14 stones featured in this Post.

After a two and a half hour fossick, I came back to my accommodation with 49 stones. Here are photos of 14 of them, in order of size, the largest being about 7 cm long, the smallest 3 cm.

Some kind of orbed stone, with a white vein.

The pink in this stone is reminiscent of thulite (next stone).

Thulite.

Raised trace fossils, more resistant to wearing away than the host argillite.

Probably argillite, much munted.

A rare red trace fossil stone.

Hydrogrossular garnet.

Partly translucent. Torch behind the hydrogrossular garnet.

Another orbicular stone, of some kind.

Another battered argillite, I think.

This light-coloured stone stood out against many darker stones. Brecciated.

A more subdued set of colours.

The little white inclusion caught my eye.

Small rhyolite.

The smallest of the 14.

The first Post in this Series is here. The next Post, on a day when the Waimeamea River has broken through across the beach, is here. The Index to the “Southern Sojourn 2023” 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