Tumble and Polish

You’ll see in the images below and the descriptions of October’s fossicks that the biggest change was to the Taunoa Stream. I’ve documented a very different flowing Taunoa before in this post thanks to several heavy storms. The weather in Southland has no doubt played a huge part in this change as we are currently experiencing a cold and very wet spring time. Come on Summer we’re waiting for you to get here!

October 2024

This month I managed to get in two fossicks. Quite unintentionally, one was at the start of the month – Sunday October 6 accompanied by my neighbour and young fossicker Lucy; and the other one, also on a Sunday 27 October.

The “Stream with no name” has been flowing quite full this part month due to the hideous amount of rain that Southland has been having during “spring”. The “Stream with No Name” is normally no more than a trickle and normally it certainly doesn’t twist and flow out to sea like the image below shows.

The Taunoa Stream is still quite big and flowing rather fast. As a stream to ford for fossicking you need your high gumboots and it is also helpful to have wet weather pants to stop the water flowing into the tops of your gumboots. It is also handy to have a reasonable stick to act as a crutch to keep your footing steady as you ford the stream. During October it has been necessary to pay attention to the tides and only attempt to ford the Taunoa Stream two hours either side of low tide.

Fossick #1

Leaving home at 8:30am I brought my lovely young neighbour, Lucy, along for the adventure. I’ve been tumbling Lucy’s stones for her (Batch 87), and as she’s already a keen rockhound who often fossicks down at our local beach (Papatotara Coast), I’m quite confident she will eventually take up rock tumbling too. When we arrived, the carpark was completely empty. However, as we made our way onto the beach, we encountered one person by the Taunoa Stream and exchanged a friendly hello. Apart from that, the beach was entirely deserted.

Although the air was a little chilly, the clear blue sky and bright sunshine made it a pleasant morning. We decided to fossick all the way down to the Waimeamea River. Interestingly, the river was open and flowing out to sea, and it had changed significantly since my last visit in September with JP. The dramatic shifts in the landscape never fail to surprise me, reminding me how dynamic Gemstone Beach truly is.

After spending about two and a half hours exploring, we returned to the carpark at around 11:40am. By then, the scene had completely transformed — loads of people were on the beach between the carpark and the carpark side of the Taunoa Stream. During our walk back, we bumped into local historian Lloyd Esler and had a quick chat. He showed us a couple of hydrogrossular garnets he’d discovered about halfway between the carpark and the Taunoa Stream. Finding hydrogrossular garnets there is quite unusual, but this shows they can be anywhere especially if you know what to look for!

Favourite Finds of the Day – Fossick #1

Fossick #2

My original plan for the day had been to join the Southland Lapidary and Rock Club‘s field visit to Hedgehope Stream on the fourth Sunday of the month. I had set out around 7:45 a.m. to ensure I reached the meeting point by 9:30 a.m. However, the trip was canceled due to the high river levels caused by the constant spring rain we’ve been experiencing here in Southland. In hindsight, I probably should have waited for the confirmation email, which came through at 8am, before leaving home. Nevertheless, there’s always a silver lining when plans change! With a quick detour, I decided to head to my happy place instead.

I arrived at Gemstone Beach around 11am and noticed about five cars already parked in the carpark. While all the visitors were concentrated on the beach directly in front of the carpark, the area across the Taunoa Stream was completely empty. It’s always interesting to observe the variety of receptacles people bring to Gemstone Beach. On this visit, I saw everything from supermarket bags and buckets to baskets—quite the assortment!

Changes to the Taunoa Stream

The Taunoa Stream was flowing wide and steady, with a large bank of stones built up on the carpark side. This was a significant change compared to my first fossicking trip here, as you can see from the images above showing the previously high bank. While there were no other people on the far side of the Taunoa Stream when I ventured over, I did spot the “gold man” and his trusty fox terrier on his four-wheel motorbike. I saw him three times in total, and on his third pass, he had returned with his dredge.

Although the day was grey and overcast with occasional spits of rain, the sea was exceptionally calm, with almost no swell. I fossicked my way down to the Waimeamea River and back. The river itself had undergone noticeable changes since my first fossick, with a considerable shift in stones. Its flow was strong and steady.

After spending just over three and a half hours on the beach, I made my way back to the carpark. The activity at Gemstone Beach had noticeably increased during my time there. When I first arrived, there were five cars; by 2:36pm the carpark was nearly full with 18 cars, and even more were pulling in as I left. It was an enjoyable outing despite the last-minute change of plans!

Favourite Finds of the Day – Fossick #2

Stayed tuned for Stones, Waves & Whispers: Part 2 (not published yet) – November’s fossicks.