Gemstone Beach is about 70km NW of Invercargill, on the road to Te Waewae Bay and Tuatapere. It's famous for its colourful stones. Sapphire and garnet have been found on the beach.
Now a Queenstown dude called Michael Reedy has applied for a 10-year mining permit over 47ha of the beach. Locals are not amused.
"I don’t think one man should have that power over a tourist destination that brings money to our area."
The applicant insists there won't be any diggers or trucks.
"Mr Reedy said it was a non-mechanical operation and he would be walking up and down the beach looking for high-quality sapphires and gemstones.
"It won’t even include a spade. It will be just me and a bucket, walking down the beach."
If that's the case, why does he need an "exclusive" mining permit when he can already remove stones just like everybody else?
https://archive.ph/nTKrO
#GemstoneBeach #Southland #Mining