I have been thinking for some time about writing a Blog Post somewhat along the lines of “The Stones of Gemstone Beach, An Introduction for the Passing Motorist”. I think that a lot of people see the name “Gemstone Beach” and have high expectations for finding something valuable or spectacular when they get there. I think that they can quickly become frustrated or bewildered when that doesn’t happen. It would be useful to explain to people that a careful examination of what looks like ordinary stones can actually lead to the discovery of some very interesting colours, patterns, and shapes. So I decided to spend a couple of hours this afternoon taking photos of the stones not far from the carpark on Gemstone Beach.
I went to the edge of the Taunoa Stream and searched a ten metre stretch for stones of different colours and patterns. I picked up quite a few stones, photographed them and then put most of them back down – I did keep maybe a dozen that I wanted to tumble polish. The tide was high and waves were occasionally pulsing up the stream, conveniently extending the area of wet stones for me to explore. I worked hard to suppress my desire to pick up only smooth pretty stones, and mainly succeeded.
Here are 12 of the stones that I found in this small stretch of the beach:
And another 12:
Two more stones, the first an interesting “two-sider” (each side is different), the second being found on my walk back to the carpark, a poppy jasper:
Post 50 features a fossick at Slope Point and the find of a large piece of petrified wood. The first Post in the “Southern Sojourn 2023” Series is here. The Index to the Series is here.
Thank you for sharing, Some beautiful stones. Interesting to do a search to find where this was located. I am in Oregon, USA. Thank you for sharing the photos.