Month: August 2023

This Series of Posts provides an introduction to Gemstone Beach (Orepuki, Southland, New Zealand) and a basic guide to many of the stones commonly found on that beach. Previous Posts = Part One: Location and Carpark; Part Two: Main Features of the Beach; Part Three: Sources of Information & What is a Gemstone; Part Four: Brief Introduction to Geological Terms for Stones; Part Five: Translucent Stones.

DISCLAIMER: Over the past six years I have visited Gemstone Beach more than 150 times, also walking further along the Te Waewae Bay coast. But I am not a geologist – I am an amateur beach stone collector and polisher. I have done some reading and research about different types of stones, but my knowledge is limited and open to correction. Some of the photos used in these Posts were taken at Gemstone Beach in April 2023; some come from my fossicking trips there over the past three or four years; and a few were taken after I looked through my “finds” in my stone shed at home. All the stones are “rough”, not polished. The coverage of stones is not comprehensive and is biased by my own interests and what catches my attention. The photos are not perfect, often having some reflections in them. But I hope these Posts prove useful to the “passing motorist” and others who find themselves on this interesting beach.

I have organised my presentation of the stones of Gemstone Beach by COLOUR. The main advantage of this is that colour is probably the most obvious characteristic of a stone. However, keep in mind that colour perception can vary at least a little from person to person. The angle of your phone or computer screen, and any “eye comfort” filter you have on your phone, can also affect the hue of the colour you see. Remember, look at the stones when they are wet to see their colours clearly. Also, stones can have a lot of detail in them which can be missed at first glance. Look at a stone up close, carefully, turning it over to view all sides. Sometimes, taking a photo with your phone then zooming into the image can be quite revealing.

WHITE STONES ON GEMSTONE BEACH

White stones are often the first you see on a beach – they stand out among the darker coloured stones, especially when wet but also when dry.

Upon closer inspection, there seem to be a variety of shades of white, from almost clear (translucent) to dense and opaque. Some stones are completely white, other stones contain white spots or crystals, others seem to have white veins or patches. This Post looks at three types of stones, or parts of stones, that can be found on Gemstone Beach that are white: 1 – White Milky Quartz Stones; 2 – White Hydrogrossular Garnets; and 3 – White in Other Coloured Hydrogrossular Garnets. The next Post looks at stones with opaque white spots and crystals, and the Post after that considers stones with opaque white veins and patches. There could be other types of white stones on Gemstone Beach but these are the ones I am currently aware of that are most likely to be found.

1 – WHITE MILKY QUARTZ STONES

Below are three white quartz stones, W1, W2 and W3 (“W” stands for White) found on Gemstone Beach. They are opaque (light doesn’t shine through them) and are nearly purely white. These are sometimes referred to as cloudy or milky quartz, and there seems to be some very minor variations within each in terms of their opaqueness. As with many such beach quartz stones, these are spherical or egg-shaped, and quite smooth.

As I noted when looking at translucent quartz stones, quartz is a form of silica and is one of the most common minerals on Earth. It is a component of a wide variety of sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks (these terms are explained in Part Four of this Series). The white veins and bands seen in stones are usually composed of quartz. Its purest variety is a clear colourless form known as rock crystal. A violet coloured variety is amethyst and a pink form is rose quartz – and there are many more variations. Quartz is usually viewed as an igneous rock that crystallizes from magma or precipitates around hydrothermal vents. As Wikipedia notes: “Milky quartz is the most common variety of crystalline quartz. The white color is caused by minute fluid inclusions of gas, liquid, or both, trapped during crystal formation.” For more on quartz as a mineral, see “Quartz – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand”, “Quartz” in University of Auckland Geology website, “Quartz” in Mindat.org, and “Quartz” (page 10) in Thornton’s “Gemstones”.

Some white milky quartz stones contain small specks (Stones W4 and W5 below) or stains or patches of another mineral, often iron oxide. For example, the rusty iron oxide stains on the top of Stone W6 (below) are relatively common.

Sometimes white milky quartz stones can vary noticeably in material, such as those with patches of variable opaqueness and translucency, as with Stones W7 to W9 below (Note: Stone W9 is the same stone as Stone T41 in Translucent Stones):

Other variations of milky quartz exist – every white stone is practically unique.

2 – WHITE HYDROGROSSULAR GARNETS

Some white stones on Gemstone Beach kind of look like white milky quartz but have a different feel and a slightly different appearance. They are hydrogrossular garnet stones, with Stones W10, W11 and W12 (below) being good examples:

Note that Stone W12 (above) has some thin translucent-looking veins as well as a couple of bright white opaque veins. Stones W10 and W11 lack such veins. Often small white pieces of such stones, the size of a fingernail, sit shining brightly on the beach. Gemstone Beach is well known for hydrogrossular garnets and is probably the beach on which they can be most easily found in New Zealand. Despite that, they don’t always show up. I usually find one or two each visit, and often find maybe a handful more by walking a few hundred metres further northwards along the Te Waewae Bay coast. However, some visits do not yield any specimens.

Hydrogrossular garnets often feel waxy, and they have a slightly duller look than white milky quartz. Some exceptions exist and will be noted below and in other Posts. When wet, water tends to “bead off” the waxy surface of these stones, forming beads or droplets that roll off. The stones that shine most bright on the beach are white milky quartz and white hydrogrossular garnets.

Hydrogrossular stones come from a metamorphic rock called rodingite which has other minerals mixed in as well. Sometimes a tiny bit of other material is incorporated into the white opaque hydrogrossular garnet stones. Black or gray is common (as with Stones W13 and W14) as is yellow (Stones W16 and W17 are good examples). Also note that W16 is an example of a denser white form of hydrogrossular garnet, while the lower part of Stone W17 appears to be almost colourless.

Some white hydrogrossular garnets have quite a variable character, with patches of different shades of white, some tiny areas or veins also looking translucent. Stones W18 to W21 are examples:

There is another kind of white hydrogrossular garnet on Gemstone Beach that is very opaque and which often does not have a waxy feel. It is one of the most common variations to be found there. In my TumbleStone Two Post on the seven main types of hydrogrossular garnets, they are listed as the fifth type, “white stones with dark intrusions”. In Thornton’s entry on “Garnet” on page 9 of her book on “Gemstones”, at the top left of the photo of stones and numbered “1” is a photo of such a stone. Thornton refers to it as “a stone from the beach at Orepuki, showing a dark crystal of diopside in the garnet.” The diopside has a black or dark gray or silver appearance. In Stone W14 (above), it might be diopside that is lurking just under the surface at the bottom of the stone, and Stone W21 (immediately above) shows such a dark silvery crystal. Below are three examples of the dense white hydrogrossular garnets with diopside, Stone W24 having a number of smaller black inclusions:

Stones W25 and W26 are maybe also versions of this, with much smaller diopside crystals in them – again, these stones often don’t have a waxy feel, but I have learned they have hydrogrossular garnet in them by talking to other rockhounds in person and on the internet:

Sometimes the white opaque variety of hydrogrossular garnets has a pink blush in them, most likely due to thulite being present. Examples will be provided in the Post on “Pink Stones” (not yet available).

3 – WHITE IN OTHER-COLOURED HYDROGROSSULAR GARNETS

Hydrogrossular garnets come in a range of colours. For example, in her book “The New Zealand Rockhound” (1981), Natalie Fernandez notes on page 50: “Hydrogrossular garnet is a massive form of calcium garnet…Colour: A wide range, patchy. Pale green, greyish, yellow, white, brown. Occasionally shades of orange, darker green, even blue and pink.” Some of the coloured hydrogrossulars also contain some white – see three examples below. These three stones have a waxy feel that help to identify them as hydrogrossular garnets.

Note that, in general, hydrogrossular garnets are not common on Gemstone Beach but can occasionally be found there. We will come across hydrogrossular garnets again in Posts on other colours.

The next Post in this Series looks at two further groupings of white stones that can be found on Gemstone Beach, stones with opaque white spots and stones with opaque white crystals.

Go to GEMSTONE BEACH AND ITS STONES: AN INTRODUCTION FOR THE PASSING MOTORIST – PART ONE, LOCATION AND CARPARK

Return to GEMSTONE BEACH

HOME – FOSSICKING BEACHES – BEACH STONES – TUMBLE-POLISHING

This Series of Posts provides an introduction to Gemstone Beach (Orepuki, Southland, New Zealand) and a basic guide to many of the stones commonly found on that beach. Part One presented the location and geographical context for Gemstone Beach, and described its carpark and local beach warnings. Part Two set out the main features of Gemstone Beach and noted different beach conditions. Part Three provided a general introduction to the stones of the beach, referring to some already existing sources of information, and discussed the meaning of “gemstone”.  Part Four provided some brief definitions of important geological terms useful in later Posts. This Post is the first of a number on different stones listed by colour.

DISCLAIMER: Over the past six years I have visited Gemstone Beach more than 150 times, also walking further along the Te Waewae Bay coast. But I am not a geologist – I am an amateur beach stone collector and polisher. I have done some reading and research about different types of stones, but my knowledge is limited and often open to correction. There is an amazing diversity of stones on that beach, each unique in some way. In these Posts, I am sharing what I know – it is not expert knowledge and it is not comprehensive. Some of the photos used in these Posts were taken at Gemstone Beach in April 2023; some come from my fossicking trips there over the past three or four years; and a few were taken after I looked through my “finds” in my stone shed at home. All the stones are “rough”, not polished. I have also included photos of stones that I have found up to about 400 metres from Gemstone Beach, along the coast of Te Waewae Bay – the same types of stones can be found for many kilometres along this coast.

After some thought, I have decided to organise my presentation of the stones of Gemstone Beach by COLOUR. The main advantage of this is that colour is probably the most obvious characteristic of a stone. However, colour perception can vary from person to person, and I am aware that I don’t always see subtleties of colour the same as others. Keeping this in mind, I will do the best I can. Also note that the angle of your phone or computer screen, and any “eye comfort” filter you have on your phone, will also affect the hue of the colour you see.

Remember, look at the stones when they are wet to see their colours clearly. Also, stones can have a lot of detail in them which can be missed at first glance. Look at a stone up close, carefully, turning it over to view all sides. Sometimes, taking a photo with your phone then zooming into the image can be quite revealing.

A NOTE ON THE PHOTOS OF STONES BELOW

Each stone is numbered – “T1” means Translucent stone #1. In all cases, the first photo is of the stone in my hand, giving an idea of its size and what it looks like from a slight distance. The second photo is a close-up one, revealing more details. The third photo is usually the stone held up to the sky, and a fourth photo is sometimes provided of the stone with a torch behind it – the third and fourth photos demonstrate its translucent character.

TRANSLUCENT STONES

Occasionally, a “translucent” stone can be found on Gemstone Beach. As with Stone T1 (see photos above), a quartz stone with some mineral inclusions, when this type of stone is held up to the sky or when a torch is placed behind it, some (maybe only a little) light passes through it. It’s like looking through dull or fuzzy glass. “Translucent” is one of the three main ways of classifying how light passes through a stone. The first type is “transparent”, meaning light passes through the stone easily, as through clear glass or a clear quartz crystal; “translucent” means only limited light is able to pass through the stone, so that an object held behind it would look fuzzy; and the third category is “opaque”, meaning light does not pass through the stone at all (most stones are opaque). An interesting web page on the three categories provides the following useful illustrations:

Make sure if you lift up a stone to see if light passes through it that you don’t end up looking directly at the sun! Using the torch on your phone can be a safer option.

This Post looks at four types of stones, or parts of stones, that can be found on Gemstone Beach that are translucent. Three of them are relatively rare while the fourth type is more common. There could be other types of translucent stones but these are the four I am currently aware of.

1 – Translucent Quartz Stones

The following are seven more quartz stones that are translucent to varying degrees. You can mainly see this when you hold the stones up to a light source. When doing so, you will also notice any other material in the stone that blocks the light – often this will be a mineral like iron oxide. Sometimes the mineral will be in an obvious opaque patch as in Stone T2, or in a tracery of fine threads only visible against the light as in Stone T3, or in a more noticeable pattern even before being held up to the light as in Stone T6. Stones T7 and T8 contain tiny black specks, again a mineral inclusion in the stones. Some of the stones do not let much light through at all, though it is possible to see a little way beyond the surface, into the depth of the stone. Maybe the phrase “partly translucent” might be a more accurate term to describe these ones.

Quartz stones are more often an opaque white, being milky in appearance (see the Post on white stones) but this translucent variety can also be found on Gemstone Beach.

Quartz is a form of silica and is one of the most common minerals on Earth. It is a component of a wide variety of sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks. The white veins and bands seen in stones are usually composed of quartz. Its purest variety is a clear colourless form known as rock crystal. A violet coloured variety is amethyst and a pink form is rose quartz – there are many more variations. Quartz is usually viewed as an igneous rock that crystallizes from magma or precipitates around hydrothermal vents. The metamorphic rock that forms with a very high quartz content is called quartzite and some of the beach stones we call quartz could in fact be quartzite. For more on quartz as a mineral, see “Quartz – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand”, “Quartz” in University of Auckland Geology website, “Quartz” in Mindat.org, and “Quartz” (page 10) in Thornton’s “Gemstones”.

2 – Translucent Hydrogrossular Garnets

Some translucent stones on Gemstone Beach look initially like quartz but have a different feel and a slightly different appearance. They feel waxy, and they have a slightly duller look, although when wet they shine brightly on the beach. These are metamorphic stones with the mineral hydrogrossular garnet in them (they come from a rock called rodingite which has other material mixed in as well). Stone T9 (below) is a good example of their waxy and slightly dull character. Also, when these stones are wet, water tends to “bead off” their waxy surface, forming beads or droplets that roll off. The photos of Stones T10, T11 and T12 below show the variable translucent character of the stones. Stone T10 has some brighter white patches as well as three darker inclusions. Half of Stone T11 has a light yellow hue, probably from iron oxide. Stone T12 is translucent mainly at one end.

The following photos of other translucent hydrogrossular garnets from Gemstone Beach include images with a torch behind them, adding to the appreciation of the opaque areas that can also exist within these stones. Stone T13 has a tiny bead of water on it due to its waxy surface. Stone T14 has a small dark crystal in it – Thornton suggests this could be the mineral diopside (see page 9 of “Gemstones”).

Stone T18 (below) is a more glassy type of hydrogrossular garnet – this type typically has a green hue and sometimes contains small concentrated green mineral patches (chromite?). NOTE: March 2025: I have had a geologist identify this type of stone as chromite in quartz (not hydrogrossular garnet). When held up to the sky, no light seems to pass through the stone but when viewed with a torch behind it, a small degree of translucency is apparent.

In general, stones with hydrogrossular garnet in them are not common on Gemstone Beach but they can be found there. I usually find one or two each visit, and often find maybe a handful more by walking a few hundred metres further northwards along the Te Waewae Bay coast. However, some visits do not yield any specimens.

Hydrogrossular garnet is unlike other types of garnet, such as the more common dark red crystals used in jewelry. Chemically, hydrogrossular is a type of calcium aluminium garnet, with hydroxide partially replacing what is silica in other garnets. It forms as dense masses, not nicely shaped crystals. Hydrogrossular garnet was first identified by New Zealander Colin Hutton in 1943, from stones found in the Nelson area. Gemstone Beach and its nearby Te Waewae Bay beaches are well known for hydrogrossular garnets, which most likely come from the mountains of Fiordland, brought down to the sea by the Waiau River and its tributaries. Some rockhounds specifically go to Gemstone Beach to look for hydrogrossulars. Hydrogrossular garnet often forms as part of a rock called rodingite, which also contains the minerals plagioclase and actinolite. Rodingite starts off as a plutonic, volcanic or sedimentary rock that is then saturated with hot fluids that deposit calcium. On page 122 of the book, “A Photographic Guide to Rocks and Minerals of New Zealand”, it is noted that the Gemstone Beach rodingites formed from igneous rocks. I have written a short introduction to these stones in my TumbleStone Blog here, with a longer Post plus many photographs in my TumbleStone Two website here. There are only short entries on hydrogrossular garnet in Wikipedia and Mindat.org. There are also only brief mentions in “Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand” and on page 9 in Thornton’s “Gemstones”.

3 – Mix including Translucent Quartz

Some stones that you find on Gemstone Beach look as if they consist of a mix of two or three main materials, one of which is transparent quartz. Here are three examples:

Stone T19 (above) seems to have small white crystals embedded in the translucent quartz while Stone T20 contains a mix of green material (maybe the mineral epidote?) and quartz. Stone T21 has a more complex mix of green with translucent as well as milky-white quartz. In these cases, the translucence provides a sense of depth, allowing you to see a little way into parts of the stone. If you hold the stone up to a light source, you are unlikely to see through the stone because of the presence of a lot of opaque material as well. This is why only three photos of each stone are being provided in this Section and the next, showing the stone as held in the hand then in more detail.

Photos of five more of this type of stone are given below, showing a range of different patterns and colours:

Other colours are possible in such mixed-material stones. It depends on the minerals that are present along with the translucent quartz. Often milky white quartz will also be seen there, as with Stone T26 above.

In general, this variety of translucent stone is not common on Gemstone Beach but the occasional example can be found. It usually takes close examination to identify them.

4 – Translucent Quartz Patches, Veins and Crystals

Some stones contain small patches or veins or crystals of translucent quartz. This type of stone is more common on Gemstone Beach than the three other translucent types, mainly because the features can occur in a wide variety of stones, including quartzites, jaspers, mudstones, and so on. You can’t identify the translucent character of the patches, veins and crystals by holding the stones up to a light source, as the rest of the stone material is usually opaque and doesn’t allow the light through. It is the fact that you feel you can “see into” these areas that lets you know they are translucent.

The following are three Gemstone Beach stones with patches of translucent quartz. In some ways, this type overlaps with the third type of translucent stone, “Mix including Translucent Quartz”, the main difference being that this type has more localised translucent areas. The patches can be of irregular shape and could sometimes be viewed as an extensions of translucent veins of quartz. Indeed, many of these stones also contain thin veins.

Much more common than stones with translucent quartz patches are stones with translucent quartz veins. Stone T30 (below) is a green quartzite, Stone T31 is probably a lighter coloured quartzite, and Stone T32 is a red jasper – they all contain thin translucent veins, probably (I guess) introduced as layers of quartz laid down as hot water moved through cracks after the process of metamorphism. In some of the translucent veins, as with Stone T31, you can see tiny bits of the fragmented opaque stone material (sometimes referred to as “brecciated”, meaning broken up).

Below are photos of six more stones that contain translucent quartz veins. A range of differently coloured stones are involved, with many of them probably being quartzites. Note that Stones T33 and T37 also contain some milky white quartz.

Finally, you can find stones on Gemstone Beach that contain small translucent crystals of quartz. Here are three examples:

Such small translucent crystals can be found found in stones of other colours as well, most of the stones being quartzites.

The next Post in this Series is on stones that are predominantly white.

Go to GEMSTONE BEACH AND ITS STONES: AN INTRODUCTION FOR THE PASSING MOTORIST – PART ONE, LOCATION AND CARPARK

Return to GEMSTONE BEACH

HOME – FOSSICKING BEACHES – BEACH STONES – TUMBLE-POLISHING

This Series of Posts provide an introduction to Gemstone Beach (Orepuki, Southland, New Zealand) and a basic guide to many of the stones commonly found on that beach. Part One presented the location and geographical context for Gemstone Beach, and described its carpark and local beach warnings. Part Two set out the main features of Gemstone Beach, including its two streams, and noted different beach conditions. This Post provides a general introduction to the stones of the beach, referring to some already existing sources of information, and discusses the meaning of “gemstone”. Part Four provides some brief definitions of important geological terms useful in the later Posts that describe individual types of stones in detail.

WHAT STONES CAN BE FOUND ON GEMSTONE BEACH?

There used to be a Heritage Trails sign at Gemstone Beach which informed about the gemstones that can be found there (photo above, left). It noted, “Some of the ‘gems’ to be found [on this beach] are: Hydrogrossular, Jasper, Garnet Sands, Rodingite, Epidote, Fossil Worm Casts, Idocrase, Sapphire.” A photo of “hydrogrossular stone samples” was provided on the sign. But the sign didn’t really help an interested passerby to identify any of the stones mentioned. And the missing sign has not been replaced.  

TWO SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON THE STONES THAT CAN BE FOUND ON GEMSTONE BEACH

Te Hikoi, the Riverton Aparima Museum, has a display on the geology of the region which includes a lot of useful information on Gemstone Beach (see the section on “Discovery Depot” on this page). On one of my visits to the museum, I was given permission to photograph parts of the geology display, including specimens of stones in drawers and bowls of stone types associated with a rockhounding hunt set up as a holiday activity for children. The photos were taken indoors without a flash, and some of the stones were behind glass so their quality is not always the best. Nevertheless, some of these photos will be included in later Posts. The museum also sells a laminated photographic poster of “Sample Stones” from Gemstone Beach. I have one of A4 size, 30 cm by 21 cm (see photos below, left). This is a useful resource, and can be taken onto the beach if you want. However, the photos are relatively small and far from sharp, not showing key details such as the traces in the “Fossil Worm Castings”. It is also difficult to distinguish, for example, between what seem to be similar stones labeled “Porphyry”, “Spotted Argillite” and “Altered Volcanic & Filled Bubbles”. Some of the stone types need further explanation, such as “Conglomerate”, “Breccia” and “Fossil Worm Castings”. It is also difficult to see how “Orbicular Jasper” differs from “Jasper” generally. And “Hydro Grossular” in the bottom righthand corner is actually a part of the larger group “Garnets”, which again is not clear.

Another source of information about the stones on Gemstone Beach is a booklet published in 1985. It covers different kinds of stones that can be found in different parts of New Zealand. “Gemstones” was written by the geologist Jocelyn Thornton, aimed mainly at the beach stone fossicker and lapidarist (cutter and polisher of stones). Although it can now be found only occasionally for sale as a second-hand book, it is available online in pdf format – see here.

In her entry on “Beach Pebbles – Orepuki” (page 36 of the pdf file online, also see photos above), she has a photo of a group of Gemstone Beach stones – they include grossular garnet, granite, gabbro, altered volcanic rock with infilled bubbles, rocks with worm trails and epidote, conglomerates, and orbicular jasper with metallic hematite. This is a very useful though again limited guide. The selection of stones is necessarily narrow, given the size of the book. However, note that Thornton’s publication also includes other pages on specific types of stones found widely in New Zealand, such as quartz, chalcedony, petrified wood and jasper.

WHAT IS A “GEMSTONE”?

The name “Gemstone Beach” implies that “gemstones” can be found there. The missing Heritage Trails sign refers to “gems”. Thornton’s (1985) book is titled “Gemstones”, and this term is often used in book titles .

But “gemstone” and “gem” can be misleading terms. According to dictionaries, a “gemstone” is a stone that, usually in cut and polished form, can be used to make jewelry. This means that not all stones are gemstones – stones that are unattractive and soft or brittle, for instance, would not qualify as gemstones. Wikipedia outlines the difference between “precious” and “semi-precious” gemstones: “The [traditional] precious stones are emerald, ruby, sapphire and diamond, with all other gemstones being semi-precious.” This distinction has some problems, in that some semi-precious gemstones can be more expensive than some precious gemstones – it depends on their quality and rarity. [I found this YouTube clip useful in thinking about stones and gemstones – “PRECIOUS Gemstones vs. SEMI-PRECIOUS Gemstones: What do they mean?”]

A person who lived near Gemstone Beach as a child once told me that locals referred to the beach as the “jewelry box” because of the many pretty stones to be found there. But when you first go to Gemstone Beach and walk along it, looking at its stones, there doesn’t appear to be gemstones of any kind. The dry stones on the beach are unremarkable in appearance, maybe a dull grey in colour. It is only when they are viewed wet and at close quarters can it be seen that many of the stones could come into the category of “semi-precious gemstones” because of their colours and patterns. But note that their monetary value is nothing or negligible – even if polished and made into jewelry, they are not worth much. Polishing requires machinery, time, expense and patience, and jewelry-making into pendants, bracelets, earrings and rings requires expertise and the right equipment.

The following Posts in this Series will focus on the ordinary but often pretty stones from Gemstone Beach, the kind that the passing motorist can find if a little time and effort is expended.

Note: In June 2025, an application was lodged with NZ Petroleum and Minerals to mine gemstones, garnets and quartz from Gemstone Beach. When it became known, there was considerable public reaction to the possibility of the exclusion of other people fossicking for stones and to possible environmental damage. The application was eventually withdrawn in November 2025. The details can be find in the six-part series “What is Known About a Mining Application to Remove Gemstones from Gemstone Beach?” .

FOUR TYPES OF VALUABLE STONES?

There are maybe four types of stones that could be found on Gemstone Beach that have some value, more than even a pretty stone that can be polished for jewelry. However, to all intents and purposes these can’t or won’t be found easily, if at all, especially by the passing motorist.

GOLD – The Orepuki area was historically a gold mining area and some gold mining is still going on nearby. Gold can be found in the black sand of the beach but it is very fine (no nuggets) and there is a gold mining claim currently held on the beach, being worked on a very small scale. The very fine gold needs specialist equipment to find it, and it can be found only in certain places. GARNET SAND – Tiny dark red garnet crystals, almost like sand, have been found on the beach but they are impossible to spot by eye. Again, special equipment is needed, and they can’t be found just anywhere. SAPPHIRE – Over the years, a handful of stones with some blue in them have been found that are thought could be sapphire. But these “sapphires” are very rough, very plain and not of gem quality. The Riveron Aparima Museum has three examples in its collection (see photo above). GREENSTONE (SEMI-NEPHRITE) – Semi-nephrite is a very low-grade form of nephrite, nephrite being the most common type of pounamu (greenstone) (Te Papa Museum). Semi-nephrite is a structurally weak stone compared to high-grade nephrite so is generally not of much interest to artisans. I have personally not seen any on Gemstone Beach and know so far of only one possible find.

SEE THE STONES WHEN THEY ARE WET!

As I mentioned above, when the stones are dry, they look dull and often grayish. You can’t see the patterns and colours well. You need to see the stones when they are wet.

If you don’t arrive at the beach just after a rain shower, with the stones all wet, then you need to do at least one of the following: a) walk along the edge of the waves as they sweep in then out, wetting the section of stones running parallel to the waves – but watch out if you are wearing shoes to avoid getting them wet; b) look at the stones in one or both of the streams; c) sometimes there are pools on the beach with wet stones on the bottom; d) take a handful of dry stones to water to wet them, either to one of the streams or to the sea’s edge; or e) take a bottle of water, or a bucket, to pour water onto dry stones. And look at each stone carefully, turning it over as each side may be different.

The next Post in this Series is “Brief Introduction to Geological Terms for Stones”.

Go to GEMSTONE BEACH AND ITS STONES: AN INTRODUCTION FOR THE PASSING MOTORIST – PART ONE, LOCATION AND CARPARK

Return to GEMSTONE BEACH

HOME – FOSSICKING BEACHES – BEACH STONES – TUMBLE-POLISHING