It had rained a lot yesterday, and it was quite windy overnight. There was a slight improvement in the weather this morning so I headed out to Gemstone Beach, arriving 90 minutes before low tide, leaving 90 minutes after low tide. One campervan arrived with me, there being no other vehicles in the carpark. When I left, there were about eight or nine vehicles there. In terms of weather, there was a little drizzle and some wind, lots of cloud and no sun, but conditions were relatively comfortable, the temperature being between 12 and 14 degrees. I wore my warm raincoat and water resistant over-trousers. The over-trousers were tested when I forded a high Taunoa Stream, the last part of which brought water to just above my knees. Some water soaked through, but not enough to be a nuisance. One of the first stones I found on the other side of the stream was a tiny poppy jasper, the only one I spotted today.
Further west, the Waimeamea River was high and swift, and the lagoon was too high today to make my way along its side to ford it further up.
There were lots of interesting stones to be found today, most of them small to medium in size (from a tumble polisher’s point of view). Photographing them later, back at my accommodation, there were a number of surprises. Here are nine of them. Firstly, this little red stone turned out to be very complex:
The clouds of mineral in this small stone were brought into focus by the photos:
The bands in this flow-banded rhyolite were clarified (note: the stone has been turned in the second photo – the bands actually flow in the same way on both sides):
The details in this colourful light-and-dark quartzite were revealed by the photos:
The details of the structure of this quartzite were clarified:
The tiny white patch on one side of the next stone caught my eye, but the photos brought the very fine veins on the other side to my attention:
Two other stones I collected today:
The last stone was a very rare find, a kind of hydrogrossular garnet. I think I have found two of these before. In TumbleStone Two, I have identified it as a seventh type of hydrogrossular garnet, “chalcedony-like, kind of glassy, its surface often rough and broken” – see here. The small stone, 2.5 cm long, has a very rough surface, with what maybe white weathering filling the dips in it. The main material appears glassy and is practically translucent.
The next Post is called “Surfers, Stream Beds and Six Stones“. The first Post in the “Southern Sojourn 2023” Series is here. The Index to the Series is here.
What great finds JP! The river & stream changes never cease to amaze me!
There’s a great diversity of stones there, and the small ones seem the best. The next Post covers changes in the Taunoa Stream – the sea pushed it around a bit. Thanks for the feedback.