29/03/2018 - Greenstone, yes or no?

There were hardly any clouds in the sky and we were looking forward to exploring the region around "Hokitika". We started with a trip to the "Hokitika Gorge". The gorge is located just outside the city and is highly recommended in many travel guides. During the 30-minute drive through the middle of nowhere, high expectations developed. When we arrived at the parking lot, we were immediately attacked by countless "sandflies" (= New Zealand mosquitoes)! Fortunately, we were able to quickly apply mosquito spray, which provided us with some protection. We started the 15-minute hike through the gorge. This trail is designed for many tourists and is therefore very well developed. After a short time, we reached the first viewpoint, from where we had a beautiful view of the gorge. A little later we crossed a suspension bridge and shortly thereafter reached the riverbank and thus the end of the trail. The river can have a beautiful turquoise color, but due to days of rain, we saw a dull gray. Therefore, we only stayed there as long as necessary - especially since the effect of the mosquito spray slowly wore off and attracted the little biting mosquitoes.
When we returned to the car, we drove back to Hokitika. Because next, we were headed to the beach. However, not to relax. Because right there, not far from a river mouth, the rare "Greenstone" is said to be found! Since our last search mission was not very successful, we wanted to try our luck here again. However, we were not alone. Ten more locals were also searching for the big find. A woman lost her cell phone in the sand. We were just able to pick it up before the waves would have swallowed it. Another man caught our attention from the beginning. He seemed to be approaching the search in a somewhat professional manner. Again and again we heard and saw him smashing the stones and seemingly inspecting the quality on the spot?! We politely asked him how he could decide so quickly what is a special stone and what is not. "Years of experience." He didn't hesitate for long and pulled a huge polished Greenstone out of his pocket. He told us that he found it exactly at this beach five days ago. Wow! Our eyes began to shine. We were filled with new ambition. At the end of the search, we had about 15 stones together. Did the big find include? At least a few of them showed a slight greenish glow.
After the search, we continued our journey. We left the small coastal town and drove north. On the way, we wanted to immerse ourselves deeper into the bush and go on smaller hikes. The first one started promising. We were greeted by two very curious "wekas" (= New Zealand flightless bird). They promptly ran towards us. But as quickly as they came, they went away again. We started the circular hike to an old Chinese gold miner settlement. The adventurous trail first led up a creek and then abruptly ended in front of a fallen tree. From there, we could no longer continue. The path was completely blocked, so we were forced to turn around.
This was followed by a visit to the "Tunnel Terrace Walk". This hiking trail begins with a passage through a mystical tunnel. On the other side of the tunnel, the path turned out to be a true insider tip! With every step, the vegetation changed. All around, the most diverse shades of green met. The bird world gave us a concert like we had rarely heard before. Stone steps allowed us to climb the hills and wooden walkways allowed us to cross the open, strawy areas. Just great. :)
After this wonderful visit, nothing stood in the way of the onward journey. After about an hour, we reached the "heart of the West Coast": Greymouth.
After shopping at the supermarket, we went to the hardware store. There we got some sandpaper...
To end the day, we checked in at the campsite and fell asleep to the sound of the sea in the background.

The next morning, we started evaluating the stones we found yesterday in Hokitika. We spread out all our finds on the table and analyzed each one. But overnight, most of the stones turned gray. They only turned green again when moistened. That means: No Greenstone! So we threw them directly into the hedge. Others, on the other hand, retained their color. Just like the man yesterday, we wanted to try to split them to see the inside. Here, too, many turned out to be useless. So, into the hedge they went! We searched the internet for tips and tricks on how to process the rare stones with household items. We treated the few remaining stones with the sandpaper we bought. At the end of the session, one of the stones turned out to be particularly shimmering. With the coconut oil-fattened stone, we went to the city center of Greymouth. Here, there are several jewelers who have Greenstone in their assortment. We entered one of these stores and were warmly welcomed by the owner. She showed us some of her extravagant exhibits. At some point, we gathered all our courage and showed her our beacon of hope. She took the stone into her hand and was amazed. Immediately, she found it beautiful and, after a brief examination, could confidently say that it is a Greenstone! We were somewhat surprised because we hadn't expected that - and yet very pleased. She showed us the differences between the different types on a table and in which group our stone fits. We are proud owners of a "Tangiwai"! The quality is by no means on par with that of "Jade", but we don't care at all! We are super happy to have found a Greenstone on the beach with our own hands!
We talked with her for quite a while about the fascination of these jewelry pieces and how they are actually formed. It turned out that we had optimal conditions to find one of these rare stones. Because the many rainy days washed the fragments of Greenstone down the high mountains and let them end up in the sea. She repeatedly took the stone out of our hands and couldn't stop raving about it.
Another small group of backpackers had gotten lost in the store. We could hear the three of them asking the owner if you can generally find Greenstone yourself? She referred to us, stating that we already had the luck to find one on the beach. :)
To celebrate the day, dinner was allowed to be a little more elaborate. We took the opportunity to use the campsite's grill for free. The grill quickly filled up with all kinds of vegetables. We had steak and salad with it. Stuffed, a successful day came to an end!