This morning’s visit to Gemstone Beach was not as productive as it usually has been in the past – I collected only 28 stones. I am getting more selective but I also seemed to come across fewer collectibles today. It was 12 degrees when I arrived, with rain and hail forecast for the afternoon. There were maybe eight to ten other people there, a few wandering west of the Taunoa Stream (see here for a map of the beach showing the Taunoa Stream). I walked down to the Waimeamea River mouth, just over a kilometre from the carpark.
Currently the Waimeamea River is blocked by stones from reaching the sea. However I counted 33 seepages of water through these stones in front of the lagoon over a 300 metre long stretch. I also spotted a photo-worthy shag perched on a stick in the middle of the lagoon.
I got back to my car just as a decent shower of rain started.
Five of today’s finds are featured below. Perhaps the most attractive is this semi-transparent stone with interesting layers within it:
Another very good find was this small poppy jasper:
A couple of dark stones with significant red in them. The first is likely to be an amygdaloidal stone (infilled volcanic stone) – the orange parts of it caught my eye. The second stone has less red in it.
The fifth and final find has a bright orange segment, perhaps feldspar:
“Part 7, Forty-Three Finds and Four Horses on Gemstone Beach” is the next Post in this Series. The first Post is here.
2 thoughts on “March 2025 Stone Collecting Trip – Part 6, Twenty-Eight Finds from Gemstone Beach, Tuesday 4 March”