When I arrived at Gemstone Beach (Southland) this morning at low tide, there was a vehicle bogged down in the streambed of the Taunoa Stream. It needed to be towed out, something that happened when I was well down the beach towards the Waimeamea River.
I discovered that the river was blocked off by stones piled up by the sea, the first time this has happened in a number of weeks. The lagoon level had risen, and a number of “seepages” had developed – water seeping through the bank of stones holding back the lagoon. If a seepage lengthens enough, the lagoon can break through to the sea, creating a new river mouth. More often, the high tide dumps more stones on the seepage, filling it up with stones again.
Below are eight “quirky” stones I found today, ones that I find to be odd or unusual or surprising.
I posted them in the Facebook Group “New Zealand Lapidary, Rocks, Minerals, Fossils”, asking people to indicate their favourite. Quite a few commented that it was a difficult choice but two days after posting, 31 votes had been cast. The following were the results, most popular stone first: #2 = 13 votes; #1 and #6 = 6 votes each; #7 =5 votes; #5 = 1 vote.
Below are 12 other “quirky” stones that I had collected today but whittled out in order to get the options down to eight. They include, at the end, some of the very small stones I am collecting to include in my tumbler barrels to assist with the polishing process. I select these stones individually from the beach – I find they include tiny versions of the larger stones that can be seen there:
The first Post in the “Southern Sojourn 2023” Series is here. The Index to the Series is here.
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