Chrissy and I arrived at Gemstone Beach just after 3pm, two and half hours after high tide. It was sunny, 14 degrees, with a light wind. There were about 20 other people on the beach when we arrived, but none ventured west of the Taunoa Stream. We made our way down to the Waimeamea River, crossing it at 5pm to fossick on the other side for about ten minutes. On our way back to the carpark, we stopped to have a long chat with Blair and Catherine, two other members of the Southland Geology and Lapidary Club whom we had not met before. It was 6.15pm when we got back to the carpark, the temperature having dropped to seven degrees. It seemed that the stones had been freshened by recent tides and there were especially more small hydrogrossular garnets than usual.
Gemstone Beach is known for its hydrogrossular garnets – I have roughly grouped seven different types in this 2022 Post. I found a variety of them today, some not easily fitting into the seven types I identified. The first one below is a bright orange:
This hydrogrossular garnet is an unusual creamy colour:
A white and grey hydrogrossular garnet with clouds inside:
Four other hydrogrossular garnets I picked up this afternoon:
I continue to find interesting green stones of different compositions and intensity. This first one appears to be a breccia:
In this one, half of the stone has lots of tiny white patches:
And some with much lighter green hues, the first a quartzite:
A green and dark red find:
A lighter green with a few small areas of lighter red:
The green in this brecciated stone is almost grey:
Another green-grey breccia:
The two sides of this trace fossil stone are of contrasting colours, one being dark grey, the other light green:
The distinctive green of chromium in quartz:
Four trace fossil stones, ranging in colour from black to very light grey:
A gorgeous small banded argillite, white and brown:
Two black and white igneous stones:
And perhaps it is most appropriate to finish with a nice poppy jasper, one of my favourite types of stone to be found on Gemstone Beach:
And on that note, it’s good-bye to Gemstone Beach from me until my next trip south, maybe March next year.
The next Post in this Series covers the first of three fossicks at Seadown Beach, Kakanui, North Otago, as I drive north. An Index to the Series is here.
The banded argillite is the pick of a beautiful bunch. Those taupe tones are are really striking.
Agreed! They are quite distinctive, and catch the eye.
Once again some stunning finds JP! I am missing your company, both on the beach and at home! I absolutely love that white/grey hydrogrossular garnet – what a stunner! (Well actually all your finds are stunning!)🤩