Gemstone Beach

NATURE'S JEWELLERY BOX

03 FEBRUARY 2024

In Search Of Pretty Stones

We decided to take the Southern Scenic Route on our road trip from Te Anau to the Catlins (where we spent an incredible 4 days exploring the wild and rugged region - read about it here), which took us through mountain, forests and beautiful coastlines. Along this route is Gemstone Beach, a popular spot for keen gemstone hunters and it's located in Orepuki in the Southland Region of New Zealand. We love finding gemstones, especially Arabella, and we have collected so many from around New Zealand so it was a no brainer that we make a stop off on our way to the Catlins.

The beach is right beside the carpark and there is a short, sandy track between bushy grasses that leads down to the sand. We rugged up for our gemstone fossicking expedition because it was a cold winters day and there's not much between this bay and Antarctica, so the wind can be cold!

Gemstone Beach is home to a variety of coloured rocks and semi-precious gems like garnet, nephrite, quartz, and jasper and there has been talk of someone finding a rare blue sapphire here. As passionate gemstone hunters, we were genuinely excited to explore the beach and see what treasures we could find.
There was a gentle sea mist covered the towering limestone cliffs on the beach, which was so beautiful, and it reminded us of Baylys Beach in Northland. As we strolled along looking for gemstones, the beach initially seemed like any other (so don't turn up expecting to see a colourful beach!), but we soon discovered that the real magic lay along the tideline, where the waves revealed the vibrant colors of the rocks and gemstones. We spent ages collecting gemstones that we thought looked beautiful and tried to guess what they were... we're complete novices but still had a fair idea of what we were looking at. We also dug down into the beach a bit further up from the tide line where we could sit down to dig, without worrying about getting soaked from the waves! The best place to look for the gemstones is at the mouth of the river, on the left side of the entrance once you're on the beach.

The beach isn't any good for swimming so everyone that visits seems to be there to try their luck at collecting some beautiful rocks and gemstones.

Our Haul

We were pretty pleased with our haul! We found lots of granite, quartz, agate and aventurine. In order to see them stones clearly we had to wet them but they dried pretty quickly to a very boring grey colour.... hence why it's best to look for gemstones along the tideline at Gemstone Beach, so you can see them clearly.

If you're gemspert (gem expert... I made it up... can't you tell?) then we'd love to know what other gemstones we have collected - get in touch!

Know Before You Go

There are lots of beautiful rocks and gemstones to collect here, including garnet, nephrite, quartz, and jasper
The beach isn't ideal for swimming
The carpark is right beside the beach
There are no toilets here
Try searching for the gemstones along the tideline, or dig down into the rocks where they are wet
The best places to find the stones are at the mouth of the river, to the left of the entrance once you're on the beach
Visiting after a storm is a good time because new gemstones will have been uncovered

How To Get To Gemstone Beach in New Zealand

Gemstone Beach is located right at the bottom of the South Island of New Zealand in a town called Orepuki. It's 1 hour from Invercargill and 1 hour and a half from Te Anau. Click here for the location on Google Maps.

Conclusion

The beach has so many beautiful rocks and semi-precious gems waiting to be discovered. It's an ideal spot to stretch your legs if you're driving along the Southern Scenic Route and kids will absolutely love walking along (or digging) and seeing what they can find. Who knows, you might be the next person to find a rare blue sapphire here ;)

The beach itself is beautiful with the towering limestone cliffs and rugged coastline and it's kinda crazy looking out to the horizon and knowing that there really isn't much between you and Antarctica!