After what feels like far too long away from the beach, I finally managed to squeeze in a Gemstone Beach fossick on Friday 5 June. I haven’t been down since JP’s visit back in March, with work commitments, less-than-ideal tides, and winter weather all conspiring against me. The shorter days certainly don’t help either — it seems that more often than not, low tide falls at a time that just doesn’t allow for a decent wander.
I arrived at the carpark at 9:53am to a crisp 10°C morning. Ohla was along for the adventure and was more than happy to be back on the beach after our long break. The beach is still carrying quite a bit of sand, although there are signs that things are slowly starting to shift around.
There were only a handful of people about. One lady was fossicking near the Taunoa Stream, while a family of two adults and a child were also exploring the same area. Low tide had been at 9:32am, so the tide was already beginning its return journey, but there was still enough time for me to safely make my way down to the Waimeamea River and back. The walk was pleasant, if a little breezy at times. It felt good to be back wandering familiar ground, checking the usual spots along the way and seeing what changes the past few months had brought.
Waimeamea River
I reached the Waimeamea River at 10:55am and found it open and flowing freely out to sea. The conditions looked good, and it would have been possible to cross — Ohla certainly thought so and happily made her way over for a quick exploration. With the tide steadily pushing back in, however, I decided not to risk following her across. Sometimes discretion is the better part of fossicking!
After spending some time hunting amongst the gravels and enjoying being back at one of my favourite spots, it was time to start the walk back north. By the time I reached the carpark at 12:02pm, the temperature had climbed to a much more pleasant 14°C.
The beach was still remarkably quiet. There was just one couple fossicking in front of the carpark and only two other vehicles parked alongside mine. After months away, it was a welcome return to Gemstone Beach — even if only for a couple of hours. Sometimes the best part isn’t what you find, but simply being back out there with the sea, the stones, and a happy dog for company.
As for the finds, below are a few of my favourites from the morning’s fossick. Surprisingly, I didn’t find a single hydrogrossular garnet during the entire fossick (although I did find some trace fossils to put aside for JP). Hydrogrossulars are usually one of the stones I’m keeping an eye out for but finding none was not completely unexpected. Whether they’re currently hiding beneath all the sand or have simply become less common in the areas I searched, I’m not sure — but finding none certainly didn’t dampen my time on the beach!
Favourite Finds of the Day – June 2026
If I’m naming the stones in the captions, please note that I am by no means an expert and they are my “best guess” with some being more confident guesses than others. That being said, I am really keen for any thoughts, corrections, suggestions on my favourite finds so please leave a comment – it’s greatly appreciated!