Picking Up Stones While Walking the Puppy: Kai Iwi Beach

I have been back home in Whanganui over the past three weeks (late February to mid-March). During this time, I often visited the nearby Kai Iwi Beach to walk our new puppy, Jasper.

Following Jasper down to the bridge over the Kai Iwi Stream.

On the beach north of the Kai Iwi Stream. Notice how few stones there are!

South of the Kai Iwi Stream.

Small stack of harder clay in the distance.

At a stack even further south.

Jasper on Kai Iwi Beach.

The wet Kai Iwi Beach stones from a 4lb barrel after a 220 grit tumble. The reddish-pink reflections are from the shirt I was wearing when I took the photo (which was taken indoors).

Kai Iwi Beach is well known for its fossils. However, as a tumble polisher of stones, I am more interested in smooth-worn beach pebbles than fossils. Though there are very few stones on the beach, I usually managed to collect a few each walk. Most are what I think are iron-stained quartz, though there is quite a variation among them. I managed to put some through a 220 grit stage in a 4lb barrel (9 days tumbling). This Post features 12 of the stones from that tumble. Some context and background on Kai Iwi Beach and its stones can be found in this TumbleStone Post.

The first two stones appear to be breccia:

Breccia stone, Kai Iwi Beach.

Other side of stone.

Another breccia stone?

Other side of stone.

Four of the mainly orange hued stones:

Interesting texture.

This stone has the small clear pieces of quartz I often find in quartzite stones on other beaches.

Six stones with darker patterns:

Some fine black veins.

Upper half dark.

Suggestion of dark waves.

Thank you, Jasper, for the fossicking opportunities!

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