When I arrived at the Gemstone Beach carpark this morning, there were two surfers in the water, one just leaving and one just entering the water. I then noticed a large bank of stones, maybe two metres high, across part of the beach near the Taunoa Stream. Nearby, and on the other side of the stream itself, were a number of remnant stream beds. It seems the sea had pushed the stream around since I left yesterday. Freshly charged after more overnight rainfall, the stream was flowing powerfully, though shallow enough to ford in my gumboots.
One kilometre west, the Waimeamea River was still unfordable, though I was surprised to see that the lagoon level had dropped. I made my way along the edge but found that the shallow fording point was flowing too swiftly for a dry crossing.
Here are six small stones that were among my finds today. The first, my favourite, looks like it might be rhyolite, a volcanic stone:
The next stone, a bright brecciated jasper, is my second favourite, and contrasts markedly with the third stone, a quartz with a dash of yellow and purple:
The final three: a very dark little stone with markings that could include trace fossils; a quartzite with of orange and cream; and a small maybe volcanic stone, with interesting markings.
Post 44 is here. The first Post in the “Southern Sojourn 2023” Series is here. The Index to the Series is here.
Oooooo that last stone is very pretty – very curious to see how that turns out!