A Blog About Stone Gathering, Tumbling and Polishing, and Rocks and Landscapes, from New Zealand – With Musical Interludes (john.tumblestone@gmail.com)
Here are three more of my recent Posts in the Facebook Group “New Zealand Lapidary, Rocks, Minerals, Fossils”. The first Post in this Series is here.
Saturday 8 May 2021: Ten selected tumble-polished stones from a 4lb barrel. These stones were found on Gemstone Beach (Orepuki, Southland) by my sister Helen who sometimes accompanies me on my fossicking trips. All are currently in the post to her in Gore.
Quartz stone with black mineral inclusions.
Same stone with a light behind it.
Volcanic, some amygdales.
Probably argillite, with a small mica flake at top.
One of the smaller stones.
Another small stone.
The larger stones in the 4lb barrel. Largest would be about 6 cms.
The smaller stones in the 4lb barrel, $2 coin at top right for size.
Sunday 9 May 2021: This is the day I made a Post in the Group’s Alphabetical Series – “B” is for “Botryoidal Chalcedony” – see this Post.
Monday 10 May 2021: Someone once wrote: “A smooth striped stone found in the bottom of my coat pocket transports me back to a beach walk. I can hear the pebbles crunching underfoot, and imagine the view out to sea as I make my way slowly along, scanning the tideline, which is tumbled with shells, driftwood, seaweeds and tattered feathers…” (page 7 of Angie Lewin’s “Introduction” to “The Book of Pebbles: From Prehistory to the Pet Shop Boys”, written by C. Stocks, illustrated by A. Lewin, 2019). Below are photos of six tumble-polished stones, collected on Gemstone Beach (Orepuki, Southland) earlier this year. Just out of the barrel yesterday.
Quartzite.
Probably iron-stained quartz/quartzite.
Volcanic stone with crystals, probably a porphyry composed of black basalt and white feldspar.
Probably a small quartzite.
On the beach, this looked like petrified wood, but is probably quartzite again.
Another quartzite, the intense green likely to be epidote.
Tuesday 11 May 2021: Six small tumble-polished stones from Riverton/ Aparima, Southland. I picked up these at places like the Back Beach, the beach just beyond the Back Beach, and Henderson Bay.
The six small tumble-polished stones from Riverton/Aparima.
Not sure what kind of stone this is.
Jasper-agate.
Could be quartzite.
A different type of quartzite.
Likely to be yet anaother type of quartzite.
Don’t know what this stone is.
Back Beach, Riverton/Aparima.
The Back Beach is just around the corner from here.
Riverton/Aparima is situated 30 kms east of Gemstone Beach (Orepuki) and 40 kms west of Invercargill. This small town is the oldest pakeha settlement in Southland, a whaling station having been established there in the mid-1830s with land-based economic activity replacing that by the 1850s. Riverton Rocks (Taramea Bay, Mitchell’s Bay and Henderson Bay) became an important seaside holiday destination. My grandparents owned a crib (bach) at Henderson Bay from the late 1950s/early 1960s and I spent many Christmas holidays there.
Little Wing Boutique Shop, 130 Palmerston Street, Riverton.
Gemstone Beach at the car park.
Gemstone Beach further west.
Some Gemstone Beach stones, just out of the tumble polisher.
One of the photo-books for sale.
In August 2020, at the end of a fossick on Gemstone Beach with my sister Helen, I met a woman who was there with her dog and a friend. She was interested in the fact that I was collecting stones. She and I were both members of the Facebook Group “New Zealand Lapidary, Rocks, Minerals, Fossils”. I showed her a few of the stones I had gathered and a few polished ones I had in my pocket. I gave her a nice pendant-shaped green hydrogrossular garnet. Her name was Kat, she lived in Riverton, and one of the things she did in her busy life was run a small vintage recycled shop on the main street. As I was starting the drive north back to Whanganui a few days later, it crossed my mind that maybe Kat might be interested in stocking some of my Gemstone Beach polished stones for sale. She responded positively and on 31 August I posted just over 200 stones to her, along with copies of two of my photo-books. (See here for an introduction to Gemstone Beach.)
I also sent Kat four information pamphlets on different types of stones to give customers a bit of background and context about them. First of all, there were what I simply called “Gemstone Beach Stones”, “tumble-polished naturally-occurring stones from Gemstone Beach…Each stone is unique but carries within it a significant part of New Zealand’s geological history”.
Pamphlet on Gemstone Beach stones in general.
Some Gemstone Beach stones, just out of the tumble polisher.
More Gemstone Beach stones, just out of the tumble polisher.
Another selection of Gemstone Beach stones, just out of the tumble polisher.
I also sent Kat a number of hydrogrossular garnet stones, a type of stone that draws many people to Gemstone Beach.
Pamphlet on hydrogrossular garnet stones.
Hydrogrossular garnet from Gemstone Beach.
Hydrogrossular garnets from Gemstone Beach.
Hydrogrossular garnet from Gemstone Beach.
Hydrogrossular garnet from Gemstone Beach.
Another type of TumbleStone from Gemstone Beach which I sent to Kat was banded ignimbrite, a volcanic stone.
Pamphlet on banded ignimbrite stones.
Banded ignimbrite stone from Gemstone Beach.
Banded ignimbrite stones from Gemstone Beach.
Banded ignimbrite stones from Gemstone Beach.
Finally, I sent a few trace fossil stones too, argillite with the 250 million year old marks of small burrowing animals.
Pamphlet on trace fossil stones.
Three trace fossil stones from Gemstone Beach.
Trace fossil stone from Gemstone Beach.
Trace fossil stone from Gemstone Beach.
Kat’s shop is Little Wing Recycled Boutique, located at 130 Palmerston Street in Riverton, right next to the town’s only ATM. Formerly called Remix Boutique, its Facebook page is still under that name.The shop’s description is as follows: “Preloved women’s clothing & accessories. Locally made jewelry & more. Vintage & retro fashion & other quirky items.” Opening hours are 11 am to 4 pm every Wednesday and Thursday and 11 am to 3 pm on Sundays. Among the recycling dresses and shoes and old vinyl records and vintage jewelry are now some dishes of polished TumbleStones from Gemstone Beach. I took the following photos when I visited in November 2020:
Little Wing Boutique Shop, 130 Palmerston Street, Riverton.
Inside Little Wing Boutique.
Gemstone Beach TumbleStones for sale.
One of the photo-books for sale.
Gemstone Beach TumbleStones.
Gemstone Beach TumbleStones.
Some of the stones sold in January this year and I took some replacements to Kat when I was in Riverton in March.
Some of the stones that have been sold.
“Replacement” stones are in the glass container at back.
March 2021.
I am grateful to Kat for stocking these stones. She welcomes everyone to her shop anytime, if only for a browse and a chat!
Day 13, Monday 1 March – 7th visit to Gemstone Beach. This visit lasted 4 1/2 hours, the sky was cloudy but the temperature was warm, and there was little wind. Today’s top four finds:
Not sure whether this might be fossil coral or not.
Other side of previous stone.
Probably banded argillite.
Other side of previous stone.
Another of those purple stones, with interesting inclusions.
Outstanding detail.
I think this is a quartzite. A small stone.
I went onto the beach this morning when the tide was low but starting to come in. Decided to walk westwards further than I normally do. However after two hours I decided to turn back as the waves were starting to get high on the beach. I made it back to the car park just in time. The waves were lapping the cliffs in places, and it wasn’t even fully high tide. Much care needs to be taken at Gemstone Beach as the waves are powerful and the banks of stones can be steep, and the cliffs are right at the back of much of the beach.
Gemstone Beach early on in my visit.
Later, Gemstone Beach with high powerful waves sprinting up the banks of stones. The beach near the car park is more benign though care is always required.
Here are five more of today’s finds:
Today’s “pinkie”.
Banded ignimbrite.
Quite a small stone.
I don’t know what this is.
Probably iron-stained quartz of some sort.
Day 14, Tuesday 2 March – The Beach Past the Back Beach, Riverton – I spent just over an hour at this beach this morning, at low tide, the best time to get around the rocks. (Two years ago I did a Post on some stones from this beach which included a location map.) I walked over a hill to get there, then once on the beach walked back towards the Back Beach, eventually prevented from getting right back to it by high rocks, stopping only 100 to 150 metres from the Back Beach.
The western half of the Beach Past the Back Beach. Tihaka Beach and Colac Bay are a few kilometres further on. Most of this morning’s fossicking was behind me, to the east, amongst the rocks there.
Looking back over the hill I had just come over to get to this beach. The Back Beach is on the other side of the hill.
Stones on the Beach Past the Back Beach.
The start of the rocks at the eastern end of the sweep of the Beach Past the Back Beach.
This was as far as I could go this morning. The small cove that is part of the Back Beach is just around the first large rock on the left.
Lots of patches of stones among the rocks. At high tide, this is under about a metre of water.
Lots of stones can be found in these nooks and crannies. See next photo.
This rock is about 5 to 6 metres high.
There are lots of stones on the Beach Past the Back Beach, many similar to Gemstone Beach but not usually of the same bright colours.
Quartzite, probably.
A different coloured quartzite.
This is a small white hydrogrossular garnet. Not usually found this far east along the coast. I have been told of the rare one turning up here, and have found a couple of lower-quality ones in the past two years.
A thulite stone but not as pink as the ones I have found on Gemstone Beach and at McCracken’s Rest. The pink is due to manganese.
Trace fossil stones (argillite) can be found here (and on other Riverton beaches).
An interesting stone due to its band.
An interesting green.
A complex construction.
Interesting hue of blue.
Returning over the hill to my car, I saw a surfer at the Back Beach and took some photos of him. Looking at one of the photos later, I realised there was a dolphin out there as well. On the way back to where I was staying, I passed a spot where I had seen a foiling wind surfer two days previously. Driving past Henderson’s Bay, a stand up paddle boarder could be seen. Later at the crib at Taramea Bay, a man flew a kite in the stiff wind.
Circled in this photo of the Back Beach surfer is a dolphin.
The dolphin.
The surfer, having caught a wave.
The Henderson’s Bay stand up paddle boarder.
A foiling wind surfer near the Back Beach.
Soneone flying a kite at Taramea Bay, Riverton.
The next Post in this Series can be found here, including a trip to Slope Point.
Day Seven, Tuesday 23 February – Visit to the Back Beach, Riverton (at Howell’s Point). I woke this morning with sore leg muscles from my long walks recently at Gemstone Beach so I didn’t go far today. The Back Beach is less than five minutes drive from my base in Taramea Bay and it’s a relatively small beach.
The Back Beach is at the end of the road at Howell’s Point, Riverton.
The Back Beach.
The small cove at the western end of the Back Beach.
Looking over Foveaux Strait to Stewart Island Rakiura.
The waves here are powerful, coming off Foveaux Strait, the stretch of water between the South Island and Stewart Island. There’s lots of stones here.
The stones of the small cove.
At the western end of the small cove, stones are thrown up against the rocks.
Back Beach stones – the first stone I found is in this photo.
The first stone I found.
The first stone I found, characterised by banding.
In the 90 minutes I spent here, I found a number of interesting stones at both the small cove and along the sweep of the Back Beach.
Today’s favourite, a nice wee quartzite.
This one will polish well.
Gorgeous bright stone, with interesting patches of light purple..
Iron-stained quartz.
Small argillite, with trace fossils at the bottom.
Another trace fossil stone, different colours.
Some great little stones,althoughnot quite the diversity and colour compared to Gemstone Beach, 30 kilometres to the west.
In the 90 minutes I was here, some Hector’s dolphins arrived (at least four) and cavorted in the waves just off the beach. A small crowd of delighted people gathered on the rocks and road and watched and photographed them. One man defied the powerful swell and swam out towards them. Just as well he was a strong swimmer – the only swimmer I have ever seen at this dangerous beach.
A small pod of Hector’s dolphins.
About 20 to 30 people stopped to watch.
Stewart Island Rakiura in the background.
Dolphins in the wave.
A strong swimmer!
Dolphin at left, at bottom of wave, swimmer to right.
Day Eight, Wednesday 24 February – Back to Gemstone Beach. I spent two hours at Gemstone Beach in the rain today, but the wind was light and the temperature was not too cold (15 degrees). There were a handful of other stone hunters there, including a couple of oceanography students from Waikato University with whom I spoke. The rain turned all the stones on the surface of the beach wet and colourful.
Two other stone fossickers.
The oceanography students.
Helicopter over a rainy and misty Gemstone Beach.
The rain made every stone on the surface wet across all of the beach.
Even the stones at the top of the beach, near the cliffs, were wet and colourful.
Rain-wet Gemstone Beach stones.
More rain-wet Gemstone Beach stones.
At the start today,I moved along the top of the stones, near the cliffs, as usually the stones this far up the beach are dry and dull-looking and it is hard to see their colours and patterns. The rain makes all the difference! However, I kept at least a couple of metres away from the cliffs as they are dangerous, being prone to slumping. Here are the first five of today’s best ten finds:
Interesting veins, some interrupted and offset.
Breccia stone, made up of small stone fragments.
Small but noticeable due to the colourful bands.
Trace fossils in argillite. Good sized chevron traces.
Small and very pink.
And here are the last five of today’s top ten:
The delicate dark veins caught my attention.
Complex red quartzite.
A type of quartz.
Some subtle trace fossils here.
A stone dominated by a large vein.
The next Post in this Series deals with Day 9 (Gemstone Beach again) and Day 10 (visits to Tihaka Beach, Garden Bay and Gemstone Beach).
A Series of five Posts describe my three-week stone collecting trip to the South Island by car, starting with the crossing of Cook Strait on Wednesday 27 May. I reached the bottom of the South Island on Day Six, beginning my return on Day 17. On Day 23, I crossed back over Cook Strait and headed for home (Whanganui). The following is an Index of the five Posts and an indication of their Contents:
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Beach just north of Kekerengu, Kaikoura Coast.
Limestone with trace fossil.
Birdlings Flat.
Birdlings Flat stone.
Stone found on the beach east of Hinds.
South Island Stone Collecting Trip, May/June 2020 – First Five Days – DAY 1: Wellington/Picton to Cheviot, including beach just north of Kekerengu (60 kms north of Kaikoura); DAY 2: Cheviot to Christchurch, including beach visit to Birdlings Flat; DAY 3: Christchurch, beach visit to Birdlings Flat; DAY 4: Christchurch to Oamaru, including visiting beach east of Hinds (100 kms south of Christchurch), on the coast 20 kms north of the Rangitata River mouth;DAY 5: Oamaru to Gore, including visit to beach near Kakanui.
Beach agate found north of the Waianakarua River mouth.
South Island Stone Collecting Trip, May/June 2020 – Days 16 to 18 – DAY 16: Visit to Gemstone Beach; DAY 17: Riverton to Gore, with a visit to Riverton’s Henderson’s Bay beach; DAY 18: Gore to Oamaru, with visits to Hampden beach, the beach north of the Waianakarua River mouth, and Kakanui.
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Patiti Point Beach, Timaru.
Patiti Point stone.
Browns Beach.
Wakanui Beach.
Gore Bay.
Gore Bay stone.
End of South Island Stone Collecting Trip, May/June 2020 – Days 19 to 22 – DAY 19: At Kakanui, visiting beaches; DAY 20: At Kakanui; DAY 21:Oamaru to Christchurch, with visits to Patiti Point Beach (Timaru), Browns Beach (near Temuka), and Wakanui Beach (east of Ashburton); DAY 22: Final day visiting beaches, at Gore Bay and near Kekerengu (Kaikoura coast).
50 tumblestones from the beaches of Riverton/Aparima.
Probably a quartzite stone.
Maybe more green than white, this stone has tiny sparking crystals within it.
Part One of this Series of Posts provided an introduction to Riverton/Aparima and 12 of these 50 polished tumblestones, while Part Two considered a further 15. The remaining 23 are the subject of this Post.
First there are eight stones that are mainly red or hues of red.
Eight stones of various colours:
Petrified wood.
Iron-stained quartz.
Iron-stained quartz accounts for the orange in this stone.
Multi-coloured.
Layered gray.
Pastel coloured with a quartz band.
Mineral-stained stone.
Clouds of green.
And the remaining seven tumblestones from the beaches of Riverton/Aparima:
Conglomerate, rounded fragments in a fine-grained matrix.
Argillite mudstone with bands.
Unusual shaped argillite.
Fine green crystal band in the middle, more resistant to erosion.
Complex structure with inclusions.
Volcanic stone with crystals..
Quartzite with green mineral clouds.
UP-DATE: By the end of February 2021, 12 of these 50 stones had been sold by Te Hikoi. Very pleased that they have found a home somewhere. The rest are still waiting…
FINAL UP-DATE: In mid-2021, the Te Hikoi shop received a gift of polished stones so mine were no longer needed to sell.
50 tumblestones from the beaches of Riverton/Aparima.
The Back Beach, Howell’s Point, on a stormy day.
Part One of this Series of Posts provided an introduction to Riverton/Aparima and 12 of these 50 polished tumblestones. This Post considers a futher 15 stones.
Three of the stones are banded ignimbrite, a kind of volcanic stone with distinctive flow bands and small gaseous pockets filled with silica. Again, like fossil worm cast stones, these can be found on beaches between Riverton and Orepuki. See here for more information.
Many stones on the beaches in this area are dark-coloured, gray or black-and-white. However, closer examination often reveals subtle variations in even the darkest. The following six are good examples of these types.
At first sight, a uniform gray-brown stone but closer viewing reveals details.
Bands of gray make up this stone.
Volcanic stone, the white specks being crystals that form as the rock cooled.
Complex of tiny black and white constituents.
Schist or gneiss, with tiny mica specks.
Breccia, made up of small angular stone fragments set in fine-grained matrix.
But there are also a diversity of white stones, including these six.
Two quartz stones, one slightly iron-stained.
At first sight a uniform white with dark specks – but a closer viewing reveals a more complex composition.
A quartzite.
A light-coloured stone with a complex structure.
Maybe more green than white, this stone has tiny sparking crystals within it.
The third and final Post in this Series looks at the remaining 23 of these 50 stones.
50 tumblestones from the beaches of Riverton/Aparima.
Riverton/Aparima is a small seaside town with about 1500 residents but its numbers swell significantly over summer with the influx of local and international tourists. Many of these stay in the cribs (baches or holiday homes) of Riverton Rocks. Located about 30 kilometres from Invercargill, Riverton/Aparima is the oldest permanent European settlement in Southland.
Te Hikoi Museum circled in black, Mitchell’s Bay and Henderson’s Bay beaches circled in blue, Back Beach circled in red.
“Te Hikoi Southern Journey” is a museum in Riverton/Aparima with a gift store and information centre attached. It holds an interesting collection of regional historic artifacts, with its displays focusing on local Maori history, whaling and the area’s European settlements. The museum is located at 172 Palmerston Street, on the main street just before the bridge over the Aparima River on the way to Riverton Rocks. See here for a brief YouTube clip on the museum. Te Hikoi has a geology-themed Discovery Depot which includes access to a library of geology resources, such as drawers of rock samples, and it makes available a pamphlet for a children’s rockhound experience in the local area.Outside, on the bank of the estuary, are a number of large rocks set in concrete, representing aspects of the geology of the Southland area, with an attractive and informative Information Panel.
Sign on the main street of Riverton/Aparima.
Street frontage of Te Hikoi Museum, Riverton/Aparima
Side view of Te Hikoi museum, Riverton/Aparima
Information Panel outside of Te Hikoi museum, about rocks on display nearby
Information Panel section on jasper.
Jasper rock on display outside Te Hikoi museum, about 30 to 40 cms long
The gift shop often has stones for sale. When I visited last week, near the reception desk were two bowls, one with some “Gems of the World” (apparent in the YouTube clip mentioned above), the other with some small tumble-polished stones from Orepuki (Gemstone Beach). On a shelf in the book section were also half a dozen larger hydrogrossular garnets.There is an opportunity to add some local Riverton/Aparima stones, which I have agreed to provide.
I have selected 50 tumble-polished stones from the three southern-most beaches of Riverton Rocks – Mitchell’s Bay, Henderson’s Bay and the Back Beach (Howell’s Point). The Back Beach, right at the end of the Rocks Highway, is the main source of my stones, a 500 metres sweep of sand and stones on the shore of Foveaux Strait, facing Stewart Island /Rakiura.
Henderson’s Bay at low tide. The Back Beach is around the point (top centre).
Stones on Henderson’s Bay, Pockets and drifts of them can be found among the rocks.
The Back Beach, Howell’s Point, on a stormy day.
Stones on the Back Beach.
Stewart Island/Rakiura from the Back Beach.
It is difficult, in many instances, to identify the exact type of rock of origin of Riverton/Aparima stones because of the great diversity to be found on these beaches. Each stone is unique but carries within it a significant part of New Zealand’s geological history. Each stone tells its own story upon careful reading (best viewed in bright sunshine), and every person can see slightly different patterns, landscapes, and depths.I selected 50 polished stones that had character and interest. Different people like different kinds of stones so I included a range of colours and patterns.
The 50 polished Riverton/Aparima tumblestones. $2 coin (top left) for scale.
Six of the stones (see photos below) are argillite containing trace fossils of ancient worm-like animals from the Permian Era, around 250 million years ago.Such stones can be found at a number of beaches along the coast between Riverton and Orepuki.
Six trace fossil stones from the beaches of Riverton/Aparima.
Trace fossil stone. Small traces of diverse shapes.
Trace fossil stone, unusual black stone with light trace shapes and a couple of dark ones.
More information on trace fossil stones can be found here .
Six of the 50 stones I sent to the Te Hikoi Museum shop illustrate the complex structure of many stones of the area. Stained by various minerals and subject to a range of geological forces, they come in different colours and patterns.Below are photos of these six as well as as close-ups of their structure.
Could be an iron-stained quartzite stone.
Three very fine strands of colour.
Probably a quartzite stone.
Probably a jasper, with a complex band of orange-brown.
Many hues of green in this stone.
A stone that has been srunched, fragmented and reassembled.
See Part Two in this Series for details about a further 15 of the 50 stones.
The following are Facebook Posts on my trip made for family and friends, as well as for the Facebook Group “New Zealand Lapidary, Rocks, Minerals, Fossils”. The first five days of my trip can be found here.
Day Sixteen, Ninth Visit to Gemstone Beach – Since I don’t leave Riverton until tomorrow, I decided to make one more visit to Gemstone Beach this morning, 30 kilometres away. The day was so nice and I had such a productive fossick yesterday that I couldn’t resist the temptation. Ended up spending nearly four hours in the sunshine.
Gemstone Beach on a sunny winter morning.
Same view as previous photo but standing on top of the bank of stones.
Nice quartz. Graduated colour and interesting shape.
While there was little wind on the beach, further out, the wind whipped the breakers.
I’m always interested in stones that look vaguely like fossil worm casts but are not. This brecciated stone was too big to take home so I took a photo of it.
Detail of large brecciated stone.
A dry stone. When wet….
…the colours become apparent.
Not as many great finds today compared to yesterday but I picked up some nice stones for tumble polishing.
Small light green quartzite.
Close-up of small light green quartzite.
Close-up of black and white stone.
I am always interested in black and white stones.
A few holes and scratches but interesting composition, as shown in next photo.
Probably an argillite.
I call this a “one-sider”, because….
…the other side is bashed about. I usually return such stones to the beach as they will not tumble polish smoothly. But I like the colours in this one too much and so will polish it for the quality of “one side”.
Met a couple of people on the beach, one from Montana and another from Riverton (who said she had learned tumble polishing from my Blog!), and had interesting chats about stones.
White hydrogrossular garnet.
Close-up of white hydrogrossular garnet.
Climbing up the bank of stones, I spotted this….
…a green hydrogrossular garnet.
The green hydrogrossular garnet is partly translucent. I gave it to the fellow tumble polisher I met on the beach near the Taunoa Stream on my way back to the carpark.
A minute later, I found this nice white hydrogrossular garnet.
A stone with a fault-line in it.
Day Seventeen, Henderson Bay, Riverton – Had a quick visit to the bay in Riverton where I had summer holidays when growing up. It’s the last little bay before the Back Beach.
Bluff Hill in the far distance, across the water. The Back Beach, on Foveaux Strait, is around the corner to the right.
The steps down to Henderson Bay. Stones are scattered along the sandy beach, with a few drifts here and there.
Looking towards Riverton town from Henderson Bay on a gloomy winter’s morning
There are lots of interesting rock masses along the beach, including argillite and pillow lava.
This partially-hidden rock pool was my favourite place on the beach when I was small.
The rock pool.
Our former crib (holiday house) is at the top of the hill behind Henderson Bay, now owned by a different family.
Cold wind this morning so I needed all my warm weather gear. The stones at Henderson Bay are similar to those at the Back Beach and, to a lesser degree, Gemstone Beach. Generally speaking, there are fewer of them and of less quality here.
Small quartzite found this morning.
Detail of small quartzite.
Another small quartzite.
Close-up of quartzite.
This stone has a softish feel, waxy but dry. I have found a couple more like this in the area in the past. I suspect it may be a kind of petrified wood.
I can always find a handful of fossil worm cast stones at Henderson Bay.
Small fossil worm cast stone.
Iron stained quartz.
Day Eighteen, Gore to Oamaru – I drove from Gore to Oamaru and stopped off at Hampden and the beaches between the Waianakarua River mouth and Kakanui. I decided that the stones on the beach just north of Kakanui were so great that I’ll be going back there again on Sunday and Monday. Cold but sunny weather, the lack of wind and rain is appreciated.
Stream across the beach at Hampden, North Otago.
There was a lot of white quartz with interesting shapes at Hampden.
The beach just north of the Waianakarua River mouth.
Small beach agate found just north of the Waianakarua River mouth.
A green-stained quartz found just north of the Waianakarua River mouth.
This stone, found just north of the Waianakarua River mouth, could be petrified wood.
Found on the beach just north of Kakanui – small smooth grey quartzite pebble.
I have seen a few stones like these on the beaches of the south coast, all of them green. They fascinate me as they seem to be put together from small bits and pieces, all variations on green. Is it a breccia, a stone made up of randomly oriented angular fragments cemented together in a fine-grained matrix, the fragments not previously eroded by water or wind? I don’t know, the fragments are very small.
Stone 8 of Level Two, from Riverton.
One side of Stone 8 of Level Two.
Stone 8 of Level Two.
Stone 8 of Level Two.
The close-up images show you more of the stone’s constituent pieces:
Close-up of Stone 8 of Level Two.
Close-up of Stone 8 of Level Two.
Close-up of Stone 8 of Level Two.
Stone 8 of Level Two.
Close-up of Stone 8 of Level Two.
Close-up of Stone 8 of Level Two.
Close-up of Stone 8 of Level Two.
It is hard to get a completely smooth polish from such a stone. Not all the segments are of the same hardness and so some may not polish at all. Others are brittle. Sometimes a small piece can come loose in the tumbling process.
View of the edge of Stone 8 of Level Two.
Stone 8 of Level Two.
View of a different part of the edge of Stone 8 of Level Two.
