February-March 2022 Fossicking Trip: Stone of the Day #27, Ward Beach Agate

Today was my final beach visit for this trip. I went to Ward Beach, five kilometres east of the small village of Ward (which is 45 kms south of Blenheim). I spent nearly four hours on the beach, arriving at high tide. I kept on getting distracted by the spectacular geographical setting, the fascinating rock formations, and the wildlife, especially the seals. However, I did manage to do some fossicking. I am vaguely aware that some kind of agates are found here but I have not found any in my visits to the beach so far. And then, three-quarters through my time here today, I came across this gorgeous one:

Stone of the Day #27, agate from Ward Beach.

I had been wondering if I just wasn’t recognising agates on the beach, but when I saw this stone it caught my eye immediately, the wet exposed agate sparkling in the sun. It is a small stone, between two and three centimetres long.

Other side of Stone #27.

I then found a very small agate, and recognised that two light-coloured stones I found had agate veins:

Very small agate.

One side of agate-veined stone.

Other side.

Another agate-veined stone.

I have an interest in Ward Beach’s zoophycos stones (see this Post for an introduction to these and this Post for a number of examples). I found some more nice specimens today:

Zoophycos stone.

Zoophycos stone.

Zoophycos stone.

I walked along about two kilometres of the coast (and back), from the mouth of the Flaxbourne River in the south (see A on the map below left) to the Chancet Rocks in the north (D on the map).

Ward Beach. Source: Google Maps.

Looking back towards the carpark from the area of the boulders.

Ward Beach stones.

Key to Map (above left): A = Flaxbourne River Mouth; B = Carpark; C = Ward Beach Boulders; D = Chancet Rocks; E = Seal Colony.

The Ward Beach Boulders are large concretions, about one metre high, and they are scattered along a 250 metre section of the beach. They are smaller than the Moeraki Boulders (see Stone of the Day #22).

Ward Beach boulders.

One of the boulders has this hollow.

Two people walking past the boulders.

The Chancet Rocks are the remains of tilted limestone strata. I estimate that they are maybe 20 metres at the highest point. Some of the lower strata in the sand next to the higher pieces are a soft pink colour.

Chancet Rocks.

Chancet Rocks.

Soft pink limestone near Chancet Rocks.

Just to the east of the Chancet Rocks is a seal colony. Many seals were active today, swimming in the bay as well as climbing onto rocks to sunbathe. Most of them were on a couple of large off-shore rocks but some were on the beach.

Chancet Rocks in far distance to left, seal colony territory to the right of them.

Large off-shore rock with seals.

Close-up of large off-shore rock with seals.

Seal swimming in foreground.

Two shags and two seals.

Tomorrow I catch the ferry to the North Island, drive home to Whanganui, off-load the stones, and think about starting up the tumblers again.

[I arrived home on schedule, having driven a total of 4,100 kms, bringing 97 kgs of stones with me.]

The first Post in this Series is here. The Index to all the Posts in the Series is here.

February-March 2022 Fossicking Trip: Stone of the Day #26, Quartz-Veined Quartzite(?) from Timaru

Today, Tuesday 8 March, was again a travel day as I make my way north towards home (Whanganui). I drove from Banks Peninsula to Ward, just south of Blenheim. When I started out this morning, just over 3,500 kilometres had been covered by car in my trip. Today I decided to feature six stones from my time on a beach near Timaru two days ago (see the last part of this Post for an account of the beach visit). The one chosen as Stone of the Day is perhaps a quartz-veined quartzite.

Stone of the Day #26

I’m not entirely sure it is a quartzite as there appears to be a mix of different things going on within it. This is not unusual in beach stones – they are all unique and can be a blend of minerals and crystals and veins and colours.

Other side of Stone #26.

Today’s five other stones exhibit some of the variety that can be found on this Timaru beach.

Small spherical quartzite?

Small light red jasper.

Stone with a stress fracture.

All going to plan, tomorrow may include a visit to Ward Beach, and I will be able to board a ferry to Wellington on Thursday morning to enable me to reach home on Thursday afternoon.

The first Post in this Series is here. The Index to all the Posts in the Series is here.

February-March 2022 Fossicking Trip: Stone of the Day #25, Small Kakanui Yellow Quartzite With Red Markings

Today, Monday 7 March, was a travel day. I drove from Timaru to Banks Peninsula. I decided not to visit any beaches today so that I could rest up a bit. I decided to feature some stones from my time on a beach near Kakanui yesterday morning. The Stone of the Day is a small quartzite with interesting markings.

Stone of the Day #25.

Four other interesting stones found at Kakanui that morning included a breccia, a jasper, a quartzite and what might be a type of quartz:

The first Post in this Series is here. The Index to all the Posts in the Series is here.

February-March 2022 Fossicking Trip: Stone of the Day #24, Kakanui Multi-Coloured Quartzite

This morning I spent three hours on Kakanui’s Seadown Beach before driving to Timaru where I spent an hour at the Scarborough Road beach. It was very warm, temperatures reaching 29 degrees while I was on the road. Today’s Stone of the Day was found at Kakanui – I turned it over again and again as I tried to make sense of it:

Stone of the Day #24.

It appears to be a quartzite. Another side had quite different colours:

And then another turn of the stone revealed another view, this one predominantly yellow:

I also found a small predominantly red quartzite:

Two of the fossil sea floor stones I found, plus what may be a third of that type:

And one of those stones that could be either a jasper or a quartzite but collected because of its veins and light colour:

I met Barb and Derek this morning. They regularly walk the beach, picking up rubbish as well as stones. We discussed issues of identifying different types of stones, especially trying to distinguish quartz from agate. Derek found a small agate during this discussion, which he kindly gave to me – I have found only three or four here this trip.

Derek’s small beach agate.

Barb had picked up a small smooth gray quartz stone on her walk, and we entertained the notion that it was feldspar within it. I offered to tumble-polish it for her:

Barb’s small quartz.

A torch held behind the small quartz.

And so it was farewell to my Kakanui beach…

…and two and a half hours later, it was hello to the beach just south of Timaru.

Timaru beach at the end of Scarborough Road.

Looking towards Timaru city.

I arrived two hours after low tide. I realised that the waves of this beach required much more alertness on the part of the fossicker as they break closer to shore than at the other beaches I have recently visited. There is little time between the sound of the breaking wave and its swift movement up the beach. Fossickers focus visually on stones, keeping an ear out for waves, and they often walk along the waves’ edge, making them vulnerable to wet legs from late breaking waves.

It’s possible to find interesting jaspers and quartzites on this beach, though they are often in rougher condition than at Gemstone Beach and Kakanui – this means that they require more tumbling. My favourite yellow quartzites (see Stone #4) can be found here but there are also quartzites of different colours than further south.

Among the other interesting stones I found here this afternoon were these:

Finally, just as I was about to turn away from the waves to walk back to my car, I found this large hematite jasper:

Normally I would marvel at it then leave it on the beach, as it is a bit too big for my tumblers. But I’m going to take it to show to my host Tracey tomorrow who I think has a tumbler that is large enough for it, should she want it.

The first Post in this Series is here. The Index to all the Posts in the Series is here.

February-March 2022 Fossicking Trip: Stone of the Day #23, Small Kakanui Hematite Jasper

I made two visits today to Seadown Beach just north of Kakanui in North Otago. I spent three hours there in the morning, in the period leading up to low tide. I returned for another two hours in the late afternoon, just prior to high tide. The day was warm and mainly sunny, reaching 22 degrees. Today’s Stone of the Day is one of a number of jaspers I found. It is a small stone, maybe only a couple of centimetres long, and is almost perfectly smooth. The dark silvery material in it is hematite.

Stone of the Day #23, hematite jasper from Kakanui.

A stone like this will need to tumble in a fine grit for seven to ten days before being polished.

Other side of Stone #23.

In the morning, I mainly followed a thin strip of stones along the wave-line. In the afternoon, as the tide was higher, I was able to view larger patches of wet stones.

In the morning, not many stones were wet.

In the afternoon, larger patches were wet.

Kakanui beach stones.

Kakanui beach stones.

My finds today included a number of small stones, but also some larger ones. Among the other jaspers were these ones, which are quite light in colour:

Small jasper.

Small jasper.

Larger jasper.

I continue to find it hard to resist yellow quartzites and their variants:

Kakanui quartzite.

Kakanui quartzite.

Kakanui quartzite.

I first thought this was a quartzite, then wondered if it might be a jasper.

I managed to collect a few fossil sea floor stones, these two among them:

Small stone.

Larger stone.

I picked up some plain and stained quartz stones, including this interesting gray one:

With a torch behind it.

Some of the other stones I took away with me today:

The close-up suggests this could be a quartzite.

The first Post in this Series is here. The Index to all the Posts in the Series is here.

February-March 2022 Fossicking Trip: Stone of the Day #22, Small Dark Kakanui Agate

Today I drove from Palmerston to Kakanui, both towns in North Otago. I first visited a small beach near Moeraki Village then took the opportunity to go and see the Moeraki boulders. Next, after turning off the main road at Waianakarua, I visited the Waianakarua River mouth and All Day Bay, before ending up at my usual beach two kilometres north of Kakanui. The Stone of the Day comes from the Kakanui beach, found towards the end of the hour I spent there. It is a small agate of an unusual dark colour:

Stone of the Day #22, from a Kakanui beach.

The white “frosting” on it is, I believe, caused by weathering. The stone is about 2 cms long. I have not found many agates on this beach and they tend to be much lighter in colour.

Other side of Stone #22.

Earlier in the day, I stopped off at a small beach near Moeraki Village that I have visited twice before, in March 2021 and June 2021 (see the entries for Monday 8 March here and Monday 7 June here). If you avoid the seals (you need to be on the look out for them to avoid close encounters), you can sometimes find some interesting pieces of chalcedony/agate here. Today was no exception:

The small beach near Moeraki Village.

I saw seven large seals on the beach, so I restricted my movements.

A large piece of chalcedony/agate – about 5 cms by 5 cms.

A smaller piece.

Ialso collected a few pieces of this kind of smooth stone – not sure what it is.

Next stop was the Moeraki Boulders which I last visited four years ago, as recorded about half-way through this Post. I noted in that Post: The boulders are large spherical rocks, [septarian] concretions that have been exposed through shoreline erosion from coastal cliffs. They consist of mud, fine silt and clay, cemented by calcite. The degree of cementation varies from being relatively weak in the interior of a boulder to quite hard at its outside rim. The boulders are cracked and eventually fall apart after having been exposed for some time.

The Boulders are popular with tourists.

Not as much of them was showing above the sand compared to four years ago.

The boulders emerge from the cliffs as they erode.

The boulders are large septarian concretions.

The segments of broken boulders expose calcite crystals.

The Waianakarua River mouth is sign-posted from Waianakarua Road. I have often thought about checking it out as I drive past on my way to Kakanui. Today I took 30 minutes out to do so. I found a nice stone that looked like petrified wood though I am yet to be convinced it is. I also saw a few rocks of a type of porphyry stone I find at my usual Kakanui beach – a polished one was January 2022, Stone of the Day #26.

Waianakarua River mouth – low flow at present.

I chose not to drive down the rutted bumpy track, walking the few hundred metres to the river.

This looks like petrified wood but may not be.

I saw quite a few of this type of porphyry, which occurs as more rounded stones further north at my usual Kakanui beach.

I had a brief stop at All Day Bay before going on to my usual Kakanui beach, arriving about 2 pm and spending an hour there.

Beach two kilometres north of Kakanui.

It was mid-tide and not a lot of stones were being wet at wave’s-edge but I was able to find some of the types of stones that regularly bring me back to the beach. These include the jaspers…

This type of jasper does not always take a polish.

Also known as limonite prase.

Also known as limonite prase.

…and the quartzites and fossil sea floor stones.

Tumbling this stone is likely to reveal tiny fossils in it.

Not sure what type of stone this is. Very smooth and very gorgeous.

I will be returning to this beach tomorrow.

The first Post in this Series is here. The Index to all the Posts in the Series is here.

February-March 2022 Fossicking Trip: Stone of the Day #21, A Gorgeous Green from Gemstone Beach

Today, Thursday 3 March, was a travel day. I left Riverton on the south coast of Southland late in the afternoon and drove via Gore, where I stopped for lunch, to Palmerston in North Otago. The 3,000 kms mark for the trip clocked over this afternoon. I decided to include in this Post a stone from each of the previous seven days that did not appear in that day’s Post. [The seventh day, 24 February, has been replaced by 23 February as I already used all the photos of stones I took on the 24th.] The Stone of the Day is a gorgeous green stone found on Gemstone Beach on Monday 28 February.

Stone of the Day #21.

Other side of Stone #21.

The following are stones found on 23 February, 25 to 27 February, and 1-2 March which did not feature in the Posts of those days:

Gemstone Beach, 23 Feb.

Gemstone Beach, 25 Feb.

Slope Point, 26 Feb.

Gemstone Beach, 27 Feb.

Gemstone Beach, 1 March.

Gemstone Beach, 2 March.

The first Post in this Series is here. The Index to all the Posts in the Series is here.

February-March 2022 Fossicking Trip: Stone of the Day #20, Colourful Gemstone Beach Amygdaloidal Stone

This was my last fossick on Gemstone Beach this trip. The day was sunny though a stiff wind came up right at the end of the two and a half hours I was there. Today’s Stone of the Day was found near the mouth of the Waimeamea River:

Stone of the Day #20.

The stone is 5 cms long, and very smooth.

Other side of Stone #20.

I arrived at high tide, and the waves seemed to have more energy than on previous days, sweeping a little further up the beach.

Powerful waves sweeping up Gemstone Beach.

Gemstone Beach.

The powerful waves stir up the stones.

Gemstone Beach, looking south-east.

Other stones I found today:

Type of quartz stone, I think.

Small blue hydrogrossular garnet.

Larger white hydrogrossular garnet.

Another amygdaloidal stone.

Could be banded argillite.

Tomorrow will be a travel day, driving from Riverton to Palmerston in North Otago.

The first Post in this Series is here. The Index to all the Posts in the Series is here.

February-March 2022 Fossicking Trip: Stone of the Day #19, Big Gemstone Beach Hydrogrossular Garnet

When I arrived at the beach today for my second-last fossick here this trip, the wind was blowing, and it felt cold. So I put on a woolen hat and scarf and a windproof showerproof coat. Being comfortable and warm, I ended up spending four and a half hours on the beach, walking from the Gemstone Beach carpark at high tide to a few hundred metres past the Waimeamea River mouth. At 4 pm, I was on my way back, approaching the river mouth, when I found the Stone of the Day, the biggest hydrogrossular garnet I have found on Gemstone Beach.

Stone of the Day #19.

The stone was sitting on coarse sand, at the waves’ edge. It is 6.5 cms long, 4 cms wide and 1.5cms thick, fitting perfectly, and solidly, into my palm.

Other side of Stone #19.

It contains the four common hydrogrossular garnet colours – green, white and brown with a hint of yellow. It has the typical waxy feel. I found three further hydrogrossular garnets soon after, any of which would have been enough for me on its own. One was a very light gray, one was a very light green with a spot of rust, the third was brown.

Three hydrogrossular garnets found shortly after I found Stone #19.

The three stones with Stone #19 (top).

I had earlier found another hydrogrossular garnet, mainly cream in colour:

Gemstone Beach hydrogrossular garnet.

When holding a torch behind the hydrogrossulars, the creamy yellow and brown ones are opaque, not letting light through, while Stone #19 is partly translucent (see below left) and the light gray stone is practically fully translucent (see below right).

Stone #19.

The very light gray hydrogrossular garnet.

The material/mineral that provides colour to the stones appears to add the opaqueness.

An hour before finding Stone #19, I found a real mystery stone, a mystery to me at least. It has a lot of small furrows in it but appears to consist of a relatively clear and translucent glassy material which is smooth between the furrows. [It was later suggested to me that this was also hydrogrossular garnet, and tumbling in 400 grit, which removes a very thin outer layer, seems to bear this ID out.]

Mystery glassy stone.

Torch held behind stone.

Among the other stones I collected today:

When I initially arrived at the carpark at 12.45 pm, four camper vans were just leaving. On the beach, there was only one other fossicker. During my walk down the beach, I noticed only a couple of people appeared behind me. When I returned four and a half hours later, only a handful of people were on the beach in front of the carpark. The cool afternoon, on a weekday, likely discouraged others.

Upon arrival, one fossicker on the beach.

At the end of my fossick, a handful of people on the beach in front of the carpark.

Other beach scenes from today:

Driftwood at the back of the beach, against the cliff.

Banks of stones on Gemstone Beach, more than a kilometre from the carpark. The top of the stone bank would be something like 5 metres higher than the sea.

The first Post in this Series is here. The Index to all the Posts in the Series is here.