Wow! After reading the April Newsletter of the Nelson Rock and Mineral Club, I went looking for that promising black sand and with a bit of luck and a microscope, found zircons! Linking that article so you can reread yourself, but in summary they’re weathering out of a formation called the “Moutere Gravels”, and zirconium being a metal and thus heavy, is found with garnets in black sand the wave action and currents concentrate the heavier components of the sand and drag most of the lighter stuff off into the tide. So if you walk Kina Beach, keep your eyes down on the dark spots, you might find a tiny gemstone!
