Gemstone Beach

Gemstone Beach at Orepuki faces Te Waewae Bay, and its character is that it does not stay the same: the sea strips and rebuilds the surface with each big swell, so a beach that was sand last month can be shingle this month, and the shingle brings up stones washed out of the surrounding rock and river systems. What people find includes garnet, jasper, quartz, hydrogrossular garnet - the local green stone often mistaken for jade - and occasionally nephrite. Fossicking here is a long-established local pastime and small quantities for personal use are accepted, though nephrite in the wider region has particular protections under Ngai Tahu ownership and commercial collecting is not permitted. The best conditions are after a storm, when the shingle has been freshly turned. It is exposed, cold, often windy, and the surf is unsafe for swimming. Nearby, the wind-bent macrocarpa at Orepuki are another local sight.

The landscape

• The changing surface - sand or shingle depending on recent storms.
• The stones - garnet, jasper, quartz and occasionally nephrite.
• Te Waewae Bay - the open southern coast beyond.
• The wind-bent trees - the macrocarpa line at Orepuki.

When to go

After a storm, when the shingle is freshly turned - that is when finds are best. Any season, though this coast is cold and windy year round.

Things to know

Nephrite is under Ngai Tahu ownership and commercial collecting is not allowed; take only small amounts for personal interest. The surf is dangerous - this is not a swimming beach. There are no facilities.

Nearby

Riverton is east; Tuatapere and the Hump Ridge trailhead are north-west.