Category: Slope Point

Slope Point Diversity, 25 Recently Polished Slope Point Stones: Part Two – Stones 9 to 16

This Series of Posts features Slope Point stones from a recently completed 3lb barrel. The batch had tumbled in a fresh lot of tin oxide polish for 12 days then was burnished in borax for eight days. Part One featured Stones 1 to 8 and Part Three will feature Stones 17 to 25. The order of presentation of stones is random. Many of them are likely to be rhyolite but I am unsure about the identification of some of them.

We start off with three stones with white “spots”. Stones 9, 10 and 11 are what Jocelyn Thornton in “Gemstones” (page 35) calls “flower garden” rhyolites, “the local name for rhyolites with white and grey circles and centres”. These three stones are between 3.5 and 4 cms long.

Stone 9, flower garden rhyolite.
Other side of Stone 9.
Stone 10, flower garden rhyolite.
Other side of Stone 10.
Stone 11, flower garden rhyolite.
Other side of Stone 11.

Stone 12 is quite different. It might be petrified wood, with a vein of some kind of chalcedony, maybe agate, or it might be quartz in the vein. The stone is about 3 cms long.

Stone 12, petrified wood?
Another side of Stone 12.
A third side of Stone 12.

Stone 13 is a volcanic stone, a bit smaller, 2.5 cms wide. One side is dominated by white opaque crystals.

Stone 13.
Other side of Stone 13.

The final three stones in this Post are all rhyolites but of different colours. Stone 14 is a dark gray, Stone 15 is lighter in colour and with some orange-brown staining, and Stone 16 has some patches of dark purple amidst the white:

Stone 14, rhyolite.
Other side of Stone 14.
Stone 15, rhyolite.
Other side of Stone 15.
Stone 16, rhyolite.
Other side of Stone 16.

The third Post in this Series features the final nine of the 25 stones from this tumbling batch.

Slope Point Diversity, 25 Recently Polished Slope Point Stones: Part One – Stones 1 to 8

A Slope Point beach.

I have been tumbling quite a few Slope Point stones recently and this Series of Posts features a selection from a 3lb barrel. The batch tumbled in a fresh lot of tin oxide polish for 12 days then was burnished in borax for eight days. The order of presentation is random. Many of the stones are likely to be rhyolite but I am unsure about the identification of most of them.

The first stone has similar features to others I have found at Slope Point. It appears to be some kind of breccia, with some of the small fragments containing fine white lines. It is just over 4 cms long. The following are photos of four sides of the stone:

Stone 1, brecciated rhyolite?
Another side of Stone 1.
A third side of Stone 1.
A fourth side of Stone 1.

Stone 2 appears to be partly brecciated:

Stone 2, partly brecciated rhyolite?
Other side of Stone 2.

Stone 3 contains some orbicular features:

Stone 3, rhyolite with some orbicular features.
Another side of Stone 3.
Another side of Stone 3.

Stone 4 has a different composition than the previous three stones, close-ups revealing many tiny fragments. I don’t know what kind of stone it is.

Stone 4.
Other side of Stone 4.

Stone 5 is again different from the previous stones. It is probably a flow-banded rhyolite.

Stone 5, probably flow-banded rhyolite.
Other side of Stone 5.

Another rhyolite with a complex composition is Stone 6. Its two sides have different colour patterns.

Stone 6, rhyolite.
Other side of Stone 6.

Stone 7 is a light-coloured stone, white and caramel. It is just over 2 cms long. It is most likely another rhyolite.

Stone 7, light-coloured rhyolite.
Another side of Stone 7.
Another side of Stone 7.

The last stone in this Post, Stone 8, is another brecciated rhyolite. In this sense, it is similar to Stone 1 but the fragments that make it up are from a different source.

Stone 8, brecciated rhyolite.
Other side of Stone 8.

See here for an account of one of my fossicks at a Slope Point beach, and here for an account of another. Many of the Slope Point stones have arisen from Jurassic Era volcanic activity and debris flows.

The next Post in this Series features another eight stones from the same tumbling batch.

Some More Recently Polished Stones from Slope Point and Kakanui

The 14 stones from Slope Point (left) and Kakanui (right).

Here are 14 tumble polished stones, seven from Slope Point and seven from Kakanui, many of them just recently tumbled. About two weeks ago, I finished tumble polishing a 6lb barrel of Slope Point stones, half of which had been given to me by fellow fossicker Oliver Simpson. Slope Point is the southernmost part of the South Island, about 70 kilometres east of Invercargill. There are three or four beaches there that are productive for fossicking, though they are difficult to access due to some steep slopes and the need to walk a way to reach them. See here for an account of a fossick at one Slope Point beach, and here for an account of another. Many of the Slope Point stones have arisen from Jurassic Era volcanic activity and debris flows. Most of the following seven Slope Point stones come from my recently tumbled batch. The most interesting ones would originate from Oliver, for example, the petrified tree fern stone (photos below). In her booklet, “Gemstones” Jocelyn Thornton writes on the pebbles to be found at Slope Point (page 35): “The prize is petrified punga, found as black nodules barely showing the eyed grain of the fern.” You have to hold the stone at an angle to the light for the lines in it to become visible.

Petrified tree fern, Slope Point
Other side of stone

Another I am sure to have come from Oliver is a chrysanthemum rhyolite, a form of spherulitic rhyolite, a volcanic rock. On Mindat.org, it is noted: “The chrysanthemums are cross-sections through large spherulites that formed in the rhyolite” (spherulites are small spheres with a radiating structure).

Chrysanthemum rhyolite. from Slope Point
Other side of stone

The following stone is also a rhyolite. Jocelyn Thornton writes in “Gemstones”: “‘Flower garden’ is the local name for rhyolites with white and grey circles and centres”.

Flower garden rhyolite from Slope Point.
Other side of stone

The next two stones are flow-banded rhyolites:

Flow-banded rhyolite from Slope Point
Other side of stone
Small flow-banded rhyolite stone from Slope Point.
Other side of stone

The sixth Slope Point stone is probably a volcanic breccia, a stone consisting of the melding together of small fragments from different sources:

Volcanic breccia stone from Slope Point.
Other side of stone

The seventh and last Slope Point stone is a spherical shaped petrified wood one. Typical of much Slope Point petrified wood, it is very dark, with just some brown wood-like shapes on one side.

Slope Point petrified wood.
Close-up of part of the pattern elsewhere on the stone.
Other side of stone, predominantly black

The next seven stones are from Kakanui’s Seadown Beach. See here for an introduction to Seadown Beach, which starts just two kilometres north of Kakanui village. There are interesting jaspers to be found on this beach, including hematite jaspers like the small one below. The silvery grey hematite in the stone is a type of iron oxide.

Small hematite jasper from Kakanui.
Other side of stone

Various types of quartzite can be found at Kakanui too, many with tiny quartz crystals in them. The origins of quartzite are mentioned in the Wednesday 26 May 2021 entry in this Post.  The first quartzite below is a small colourful yellow one with some red streaks, the second a very dark brown circular stone.

Kakanui quartzite.
Other side of stone.
Kakanui quartzite
Other side of stone

The largest of the 14 stones could also be quartzite – it is full of clear quartz crystals.

Quartzite? From Kakanui’s Seadown Beach.
Other side of stone.

The next two stones look like a kind of quartz with light-coloured mineral patterns in them.

Kakanui stone.
Other side of stone
Kakanui stone.
Other side of stone

The final Kakanui stone is a fossilised sea floor one, containing many tiny fossils. See this Post for more information on this type of stone. After tumbling in fine grit, such stones feel soft and waxy, and there is no need to go on to tumble them in polish.

Fossilised sea floor stone from Kakanui
Other side of stone

Christmas Stones: Part One – Slope Point

Tourist sign, Slope Point.
Cover of 2023 Calendar.

As well as my usual Christmas gift of the TumbleStone 2023 Calendar for family this year, I am giving some polished stones. The calendar itself features stones from Slope Point and Kakanui – see here for information on the calendar and on the two beaches. This year, I am also sending stones from the same beaches through the mail, or giving in person, alongside the calendar. It’s not always easy to give away stones I have personally collected and polished, but I have accumulated quite a few by now, and find that as long as I have photos of them, it is ok. Note that the photos posted in this two-Post Series include “close-up” zooms that are sometimes brightened to bring out aspects of the details. The original photos were taken in bright sunshine, and viewing the stones themselves in bright sunshine best brings out their colours and patterns.

This Post features the Slope Point stones I have given away (the next Post features the Kakanui stones). Slope Point is right at the bottom of the South Island. There are three or four small beaches there that fossickers visit. The main attractions are the stones of rhyolite and petrified wood, and some breccia as well (stones consisting of small fragments of other stones). The following are the 15 Slope Point stones given away by me this Christmas. The first two are petrified wood:

Light coloured petrified wood, Slope Point.
Other side of stone
Darker coloured petrified wood, Slope Point
Other side of stone

The varieties of rhyolite among the next 13 stones (below) are reflected in the diversity of photos on Mindat.org, the world’s largest open database of minerals and rocks and the localities they come from. Some have orbs or “flowers”, including the chrysanthemum variety, others are flow banded. Some of the stones appear to be volcanic breccia, consisting of sharp edged fragments bound together in a fine matrix, though sometimes this can be hard to distinguish from stones with crystals within them that have formed as the volcanic rock has slowly cooled.

“Chrysanthemum” rhyolite
Other side of stone
Slope Point rhyolite.
Other side of stone
Slope Point rhyolite
Other side of stone

Slope Point rhyolite
Other side of stone
Slope Point rhyolite.
Other side of stone, with some flow banding
Flow banded rhyolite, Slope Point
Other side of stone
Flow banded rhyolite, Slope Point
Other side of stone
Slope Point stone
Other side of stone
Slope Point rhyolite or breccia?
Other side of stone
Slope Point breccia
Other side of stone
Slope Point stone, maybe breccia
Other side of stone
Slope Point stone, could be breccia
Other side of stone
Slope Point stone, maybe breccia
Other side of stone

The second Post in this Series features the Kakanui stones given by me as Christmas gifts this year.

“Well that was hard!” 36 Milestones for a Completed Thesis – Part Three: Stones 23 to 36 (Slope Point)

Title page of thesis.
Stones 1 to 10, from Timaru and Kakanui
Stones 11 to 22, from Gemstone Beach
Stones 23 to 36, from Slope Point

Milestones mark progress along a journey. These 36 tumble-polished milestones mark the final completion by Lynley Uerata of her doctoral degree journey. Her doctoral thesis is entitled “Insecure, Unpredictable, Hoping to Survive: Four Cases of Māori People Living Precariously in Hamilton, Aotearoa New Zealand” (you can view it here).  I am giving Lynley one polished Tumblestone as a milestone for each year of her life so far. The stones come from four different beaches. Milestones #1 to #10 are from Timaru South and Kakanui – see Part One in this Series. Milestones #11 to #22 are from Gemstone Beach and feature in Part Two. This Post features 14 milestones from Slope Point beaches.

Slope Point sign at the point where tourists walk to.
First Slope Point fossicking beach I visited.
More of first beach.
On the first beach.
Second Slope Point beach I visited.
A day when there were lots of stones on the second beach.
Milestone #23.
Milestone #24.
Milestone #25.
Milestone #26.
Milestone #27.
Milestone #28.
Milestone #29.
Milestone #30.
Milestone #31.
Milestone #32.
Milestone #33.
Milestone #34.
Milestone #35.
Milestone #36.

Slope Point is the southernmost part of the South Island, located about 70 kilometres east of Invercargill. Tourists are directed to a carpark from where they can walk across a windswept paddock to the top of high rocky cliffs looking out over a wild sea. It is there that the Slope Point sign is located (see photo above, top left). Fossickers for beach stones have to drive a couple of kilometres further along a narrow gravel road before crossing paddocks down awkward slopes to reach their goal. NOTE – OCTOBER 2023 – Landowners are now refusing access to this beach, so please do not visit there without permission. See here for an account of a fossick at one Slope Point beach, and here for an account of another beach. Many of the Slope Point stones have arisen from Jurassic Era volcanic activity and debris flows, which also produced the petrified trees of nearby Curio Bay (see this brief introduction to the petrified forest and Mike Pole’s interesting account of Curio Bay). Slope Point stones are quite different from the stones found on the other three South Island beaches featured in this Series of Posts. The following 14 Milestones illustrate the diversity and colourful patterns of Slope Point stones.

The first two milestones from Slope Point were also Stones of the Day in the TumbleStone Blog Series for January 2022, so information about them can be found there. Milestone #23 is a gorgeous light-coloured petrified wood stone with agate veins. It was January 2022 Stone of the Day #10. As Wikipedia explains: “Petrified wood forms when woody stems of plants [or trees] are buried in wet sediments saturated with dissolved minerals. The lack of oxygen slows decay of the wood, allowing minerals to replace cell walls and to fill void spaces in the wood.”

Milestone #23. Petrified wood, Slope Point.
Other side of Milestone #23.

Milestone #24 is probably one of Slope Point’s colourful rhyolites, and was January 2022 Stone of the Day #12.

Milestone #24. Rhyolite, Slope Point.
Other side of Milestone #24.

Milestone #25 is a highly polished white stone with lots of tiny features. It could be something like fossilised sea floor, with tiny fossils in it, but I can’t say for sure.

Milestone #25. Slope Point.
Other side of Milestone #25.

Maybe also a rhyolite, Milestone #26 is a dark stone with interesting light-coloured veins breaking the surface.

Milestone #26. Rhyolite? Slope Point.
Other side of Milestone #26.

From time to time, I have found orange and black stones with light-coloured crystals or maybe fossils in them. They are a bit of a mystery. Milestone #27 is one of these stones. It has polished well and there are interesting shapes, patterns and lines in it.

Milestone #27. Rhyolite, Slope Point.
Another side of Milestone #27.
A third side of Milestone #27.

Two quite different stones with different kinds of light-coloured spots follow. A fascinating and complex stone is Milestone #28. When viewed in close-up, the white spots in it look like flakes of ash with tiny cracks in them.

Milestone #28. Slope Point.
Other side of Milestone #28.

The spots in Milestone #29 look like tiny crystals scattered throughout the stone.

Milestone #29. Slope Point.
Other side of Milestone #29.

Milestone #30 is probably a flow-banded rhyolite. Its dark base and occasional white patches make it an attractive stone. It has polished well, with only one small rough patch on its “underside”.

Milestone #30. Flow-banded rhyolite, Slope Point.
Other side of Milestone #30.

The next two are the smallest of the Slope Point stones. Milestone #31 is three centimetres long and two-and-a-half centimetres wide. It has a bleached appearance but contains tiny white and orange shapes and tinier black dots, perhaps different types of crystals.

Milestone #31. Slope Point.
Other side of Milestone #31.

Milestone #32 is three centimetres long but only one-and-a-half centimetres wide. It is likely to be a rhyolite stone with fine bands of what could be silica.

Milestone #32. Rhyolite? Slope Point.
Other side of Milestone #32.

Milestone #33 appears to be a kind of petrified sediment, with alternating layers of dark and light gray.

Milestone #33. Slope Point.
Other side of Milestone #33.

The next two milestones are different kinds of breccia, stones with small sharp-angled fragments in a fine matrix (see the comments on Milestone #11 for some information on brecciated stones). Milestone #34 is eye-catching, probably a volcanic breccia. There is an amazing diversity of fragments, some with their own internal patterned structure. It can often be difficult to get a good smooth surface on brecciated stones as different fragments can be softer or harder, and some may not take a polish. Milestone #34 has polished well, though Milestone #35 has a couple of small rough areas.

Milestone #34. Slope Point.
Other side of Milestone #34,

Milestone #35 is a less colourful breccia, being predominantly gray, but some of its fragments are very similar to those in Milestone #34.

Milestone #35. Breccia, Slope Point.
Other side of Milestone #35.

The final stone, Milestone #36, is light-coloured, a complex mix of creamy-white and light brown.

Milestone #36. Slope Point.
Another side of Milestone #36.
A third side of Milestone #36.

One of the main parallels between Lynley’s doctoral research and these 36 milestones is suggested by the close-up photos of the stones. The close-up photos reveal how the stones are constructed, showing the individual constituents that make up the lines and patterns and shapes. The fossicker is drawn to the overall colour of a stone on the beach, but appreciation and understanding are deepened when close-up examination occurs. It is the same when trying to understand a social phenomenon like “precarity” – it tends to be the overall statistics that attract attention, but understanding is sharpened and deepened by taking a closer look at the experiences of individuals. Lynley’s decision to spend a lot of time getting to know four people in the context of their everyday lives meant that her research took a long time but it also meant that she gained a deeper understanding. Her aim “to make their voices heard by representing their own experiences in their own words” (thesis, page 359), based on transcriptions of recorded interviews and fieldnotes, also meant that the writing of the thesis took a long time, but it was the right choice, the right path to take.

It took a few weeks to tumble-polish each these milestones, but the sea tumbled them for thousands of years before I found them on the beach. As Lynley states in the Preface to her thesis, it was the “combination of my cultural, educational, and employment history” that led to her doctoral research (page v). These 36 milestones reflect the length of Lynley’s life history, marking the years that led to this point of personal achievement. Yes, it was hard, but it was worth it.

Twenty-Five Slope Point Stones Polished for Oliver, July 2022: Part 3, Stones 16 to 25 (Dots, Orbs, Breccia)

In Part 1, I introduced eight stones that I had tumble-polished for my fossicking buddy, Oliver Simpson, who lives near Slope Point in Southland. Part 2 featured seven petrified wood stones. In this Post, the remaining ten stones are presented, a variety of types and colours and patterns. Many, if not all, of them are probably rhyolite.

Stones 16 and 17 both have very small light-coloured “dots”. Closer examination reveals the complexity of the dots. These are sometimes known as “flower garden” rhyolites (see page 35, #8, in Thornton).

Stone 16.
Another side of Stone 16.
Another side of Stone 16.
Stone 17.
Other side of Stone 17.

Stones 18, 19 and 20 have slightly larger “dots” or orbs, also of different construction, the first two also being “flower garden” rhyolites.

Stone 18.
Other side of Stone 18.
Stone 19.
Another side of Stone 19.
Stone 19 again.
Stone 20.
Other side of Stone 20.

Stones 21 and 22 have a different kind of orbs, darker in colour and with less sharp boundaries.

Stone 21.
Other side of Stone 21.
Stone 22.
Other side of Stone 22.

Finally, three brecciated stones. The final one is a favourite of Oliver’s. He was less impressed with Stone 24 while I really like it, so he kindly let me keep it.

Stone 23.
Other side of Stone 23.
Stone 24. Gifted back to me.
Other side of Stone 24.
Stone 25.
Other side of Stone 25.

The next lot of Slope Point stones from Oliver has been handed over to me to take home to tumble-polish. I am looking forward to what is revealed.

Twenty-Five Slope Point Stones Polished for Oliver, July 2022: Part 2, Stones 9 to 15 (Petrified Wood)

In Part 1, I introduced eight stones that I had tumble-polished for my fossicking buddy, Oliver Simpson, who lives near Slope Point in Southland. One of those was petrified wood, and this Post features seven more polished stones of this type. The most common colour for petrified wood in the area is black, but lighter varieties are also present. I will present the lighter stones first.

Stone 9.
Stone 11.
Stone 10.
Stone 12.
Stone 15.

Stone 9 is the largest of all the 25 stones. It is right at the upper boundary of what I feel I can tumble polish. I also did not want to reduce its size too much – reduction results in a smoother outcome – as Oliver was mainly interested in just clarifying the grain and veins. There is some brecciation apparent in the central vein.

Stone 9, Slope Point petrified wood.
Stone 9.
The other side of Stone 9.

Stone 10 has a light grey hue and a mottled bottom. It is also a decent size (for a tumble-polisher).

Top of Stone 10.
Stone 10.
One of the sides of Stone 10.
Another side of Stone 10.
Bottom of Stone 10.

Stones 11 and 12 are much smaller. Stone 11 has one face that displays its grain very nicely.

Stone 11.
Another face of Stone 11.
Stone 11.
Stone 12.
Stone 12.
Another side of Stone 12.

Stones 13 and 14 are darker in colour. Stone 13 was difficult to get a clear clear photo of because of its high polish. By contrast, Stone 14 did not take a good polish, maybe because the material is a little softer.

Stone 13.
Another side of Stone 13.
Stone 14.
Another side of Stone 14.

Finally, Stone 15 is very black. It is probably fossilised tree fern, given the shapes that can be discerned in it.

Stone 15, fossilised tree fern?
Stone 15.
The other side of Stone 15.

Part 3 in this Series features the remaining ten stones, which include a number of orbicular and brecciated ones.

Twenty-Five Slope Point Stones Polished for Oliver, July 2022: Part 1, Stones 1 to 8

Ten months ago, in September 2021, I delivered 24 polished stones to Oliver Simpson who lives near Slope Point, Southland (see this Post). At that time, he gave me a few more that he had collected since we last met, some for me to keep and some for me to return polished to the finder (fair trade!). I have now finished tumble-polishing most of these, and I returned 25 to him yesterday. This Post, and the other two in this Series, feature these 25 stones.

Oliver fossicking on a Slope Point beach, February 2022.
Oliver fossicking on a Slope Point beach, February 2022.
Oliver and faithful dog fossicking on a Slope Point beach, March 2021.
Source map = Google Maps.

As I mentioned in my September 2021 Post, Slope Point beaches are known for petrified wood, much of it black in colour, and rhyolites that are colourful and swirly, sometimes brecciated. Oliver has a particular interest in petrified wood, especially large pieces (see this recent Post for a couple of examples), whereas I fossick for smaller stones for a tumble polisher. I first visited Slope Point in March 2021, with Oliver as host. We have since conducted maybe half a dozen fossicks together. Oliver now knows the kind of stones I like so he picks up a few to give me to tumble.

This Post features eight of the polished stones I gave back to Oliver yesterday. They represent the range of types of stones in the 25, and most are quite spectacular in character. I don’t know the identification of all of them. In fact, the first one in particular is a mystery to me. I have not seen anything like it before.

Stone 1.
Other side of Stone 1.

The second is a volcanic stone, the vesicles of which have been infilled, making it an amygdaloidal stone. Oliver had found this at Gemstone Beach.

Stone 2, an amygdaloidal stone.
Other side of Stone 2.

I have found similar amygdaloidal stones at Gemstone Beach (140 kilometres west of Slope Point) (see here and here), though these are not as colourful as the one Oliver found. The next stone is also a colourful one, a mix of white and red. It has a complex composition, with brecciation visible (small sharp fragments in a fine matrix) as well as white orbicular structures.

Stone 3, a complex, bright stone. Maybe a brecciated rhyolite.
Another side of Stone 3.
One of the ends of Stone 3.
Yet another view of Stone 3.

The next stone also exhibits a kind of orbicular structure but the boundary of the “orbs” are less clearly defined. Close inspection shows a crystal of some kind in the centre of a lot of the “orbs”. This could be a “chrysanthemum rhyolite” stone.

Stone 4.
Another side of Stone 4.
Stone 4 again.

The next stone is also orbicular. It is the one that Oliver liked the most, and it was the most difficult to tumble-polish due to its shape. Again, a complex composition.

Stone 5, an awkward shape.
One of the smaller faces of Stone 5.

The sixth stone is petrified wood, a rich brown colour in parts.

Stone 6, a nice piece of Slope Point petrified wood, polished.
The bottom of Stone 6.
Another side of Stone 6.

The next stone appears to have some orbs and is also brecciated – its four main colours, black, gray, white and dark red make it particularly attractive.

Stone 7.
The other side of Stone 7.

Finally in this Post, a type of stone that is reasonably common at Slope Point, probably of volcanic origin but I am unsure.

Stone 8.
The other side of Stone 8.

Part 2 in this Series features seven petrified wood stones polished for Oliver.

June-July 2022 Fossicking Trip: 16) Slope Point

Unruly seas at Slope Point.
Oliver fossicking.
The lagoon and a wave hitting the rocks.
The channel cut out by the sea, draining and refilling the lagoon as the tide goes out and back in.

This morning I drove the 120 kilometres east to Slope Point, meeting with my good friend and fellow fossicker Oliver Simpson who lives there. When I arrived, it was four degrees and cloudy, but no wind or rain meant it wasn’t too uncomfortable on the beach. Access at Slope Point is always a challenge and Oliver’s four-wheel-drive was essential. It was three and a half hours before low tide, and the seas were high. They had recently broken across the beach we went to and a channel was emptying what was usually a lagoon as the tide receded.

The beach at Slope Point today.
The lagoon behind the sandy beach today – water draining away as the tide recedes.
The same view in March 2021, when the sand trapped the water there despite different tide levels.

The beach was unexpectedly bereft of stones, we initially thought, but careful fossicking revealed a line or two of scattered small pebbles.

Looking towards the cliffs today, a lack of pebbles.
The same stretch of beach in March this year.
Looking in the other direction, today.
A lack of pebbles to tumble!
At the high tide mark, a few scattered pebbles.
The high tide line.

Some good patches of pebbles could also be found around the fringe of the lagoon. It was there that Oliver found a recently uncovered large piece of petrified wood that he managed to lug back to the truck.

The large piece of petrified wood found by Oliver.
The side of the petrified wood.
Oliver walking out the large piece of petrified wood.

I ended up with a nice haul of much smaller stones, suited to tumble-polishing. After about two hours on the beach, we made our way back to Oliver’s place. The temperature had risen only two or three degrees. I gave him some stones I had polished for him, stones he had collected himself at Slope Point. He gave me a few more to polish which I readily welcomed as they are often gorgeous and colourful.

The Slope Point stones I had tumble-polished for Oliver.
Stone 3, a complex, bright stone. Maybe a brecciated rhyolite.
Stone 2, an amygdaloidal stone.
Another polished rhyolite.
Oliver handed this one back to me as I like it and he was prepared to let it go.
Stone 6, a nice piece of Slope Point petrified wood, polished.
Oliver gave me these stones he had collected since I last saw him in March. I will take them back to Whanganui to tumble-polish.

He also showed me a gorgeous petrified wood bowl, made from a Slope Point slab, that Michael Lidski had polished for him.

The bottom of the piece of petrified wood.
The bowl part, polished.

Most of the photos of the stones I collected today were taken back at Riverton Aparima in gloomy light – the photos were not sharp enough for good close-ups.

Probably rhyolite.
Rhyolite.
Rhyolite.
Petrified wood.
Dry stone.
Same stone wet.
Tiny orbicular jasper found early on in my fossick.
Rhyolite.
Petrified wood, dry.
Wet.
Petrified wood.
Rhyolite.

A shorter version of this Post first appeared in the Facebook Group “New Zealand Lapidary, Rocks, Minerals, Fossils”. The next Post features a visit to a Kakanui beach. The first Post in this Series is here. A Series Index is here.