Solaria - Sanctuary of Soul & Stone NZ

10/10/2026

It rained quite heavy last night and when I looked out the window this morning the landscaping stones that cover the back area of our rental were looking magical as they do... Such a wide variety of stone and mineral... easy to get lost in and almost meditative, like watching the ebb and flow of the ocean and the waves build and crash at the beach - but with excited bursts of "wow" and the quiet restraint of not bringing them all inside 😅

Look at the rocks in our yard after the rain with me 😶‍🌫️

09/10/2026

The Riuwaka River (formerly Riwaka River) has two main headwater 'branches' - the North Branch begins in the ancient marble and limestone caves of the Tākaka Hill, Tasman, NZ and emerges in the beautiful Kahurangi National Park at the sacred Riuwaka Resurgence at the base of the hill. Perpetually cool all year round with crystal clear, mineral rich flowing water, this is a deeply sacred site known as a place of spiritual sustenance, cleansing, and physical healing.

The South Branch comes down from the Wharepapa / Arthur Range where it meets the North Branch near the base of the Tākaka Hill and merges to flow out to sea at Tasman Bay.

This video is of the North Branch. I thought we would see more marble... but whilst there was a beautiful range of rocks, there didn’t seem to be much marble! I'm looking forward to the day we can identify all the rocks we see! For now, we can just enjoy them and imagine their story...

(I have a previous video of the Riuwaka Resurgence)

08/10/2026

This was a funny and pleasant surprise! I submitted a little blurb about Solaria and our 'Stewardship Programme' to Nelson Greypower to let their members know about it in case they had rocks or collections needing rehoming and they had just had a space open up for a photo and article and happily slotted me in... then after I submitted it I found out it was going in the Waimea Weekly, Nelson Weekly and Guardian Motueka newspapers! Then when I looked through the paper on Wednesday to see it, Solaria was the main article for the Greypower insert 😄!! What a blessing!

I immediately had a phone call and email from people with some precious minerals specimens they were happy to donate to Solaria!

I love how things like this work when the timing is right 💖

08/10/2026

My copy of this beautiful NZ book about the variety of stones found at Gemstone Beach, Southland finally arrived today! This is a stunning photographic collection of special finds from Gemstone Beach as collected and photographed by John Patterson ( TumbleStone blog) and Chrissy Lampitt (Chrissy | Rockhound Stone-tumbler ). Whilst not all of us have been to, or will get down to Gemstone Beach this book contains stones we may see in other locations around NZ so for me (and maybe you too), it is helpful in the overall identification of NZ stones while displaying the large range found at this unique location with high quality pictures.

I actually do have a small range of tumbled and polished rocks from Gemstone Beach thanks to Nicola from NZ Rockhound ( New Zealand Rock hound, My Rock Tumbling Journey ) and a sand sample thanks to Chrissy - so it will be fun looking through the book with those physical specimens.

Great work team! Very well done!! Thank you 😊

To purchase your own copy of the book head to the Tumble and Polish website: https://tumbleandpolish.co.nz/gemstone-beach-stones-book/

02/10/2026

01/10/2026

How cool is this regional mineral map!?! Found Ngarua Caves NZ in the cabin. Hopefully we will have something similar at Solaria one day! Maybe even a map of minerals from all over NZ or even the world if we are being super ambitious!

01/10/2026

Our tour guide Rachel at .caves also makes these beautiful layered sand jars made from New Zealand sand. How beautiful is this!

23/09/2026

🪨✨ Ngarua Caves, Tākaka Hill, Tasman, NZ

To celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary, we finally visited Ngarua Caves NZ — and WOW. 🤯

It was one of those experiences you almost need to do twice. The first time is so mind-blowing that you need time to process everything you’ve seen… and then you want to go back and properly absorb it all.

Hidden beneath Tākaka Hill is an extraordinary 300-metre cavern filled with delicate stalactites, stalagmites, cave coral, soda straws, flowstone and columns — all slowly shaped by water and minerals over immense stretches of geological time.

The cave is carved into marble roughly 450 million years old, dating back to the Ordovician Period, while the cave itself is estimated to be around 100 million years old. It is believed to have been water-filled during at least the first 20–30 million years of its development.

And there is even more beneath the surface… Recent dye tracing by local speleologists has revealed a small connection with the wider Greenlink system towards the Riuwaka Resurgence.

Discovered in 1876 by 17-year-old surveyor’s assistant Horatio Brewster Everett, the cave was originally known as Hobson’s Cave and became popular enough that people even got married inside!

Photos genuinely don't do it justice. You need to physically experience it to appreciate the scale, atmosphere and incredible beauty of this place. 🩵

A few tips if you visit:
• 🌡️ It’s about 11°C inside
• 👟 Wear sensible footwear
• 👖 Pants or shorts are much easier than a dress/skirt
• 🪜 There are steps, uneven sections and a ladder
• 🦆 There is some ducking and weaving
• 📸 Photography is allowed, but no videoing
• ⛑️ Safety hard hats are provided
• ⏱️ The guided tour takes around 45 minutes

We took our almost-four-year-old daughter and she did really well, although I’d consider the physical requirements carefully for very young children, older visitors or anyone with mobility difficulties.

Ngarua Caves is one of those places that reminds you just how extraordinary the world beneath our feet really is. 🌏🪨✨

21/09/2026

Happy 1 Year Anniversary to Solaria and it is also mine and John's 13 year Wedding Anniversary! We spent the day out and about enjoying the beautiful weather in Motueka and visited the stunning Ngarua Caves (pictures coming soon)!

I've shared a tiny snippet of the past year in the photos but it has been a BIG year! It's exciting to think what may happen in the next year! I have a few hopes and dreams but just gonna trust divine timing with it all...

I have actually been quite unwell this year and super unwell since June and barely been able to go out so today marks not only our anniversary but what feels like a big shift towards more adventures and better health.

Thanks for being here with me for the beginning of this grand vision. I am so grateful.

Thank you!
Amanda Sears
Founder

20/09/2026

Last year I connected with this super cool chick called Alice Watson from Canterbury, NZ. She loves rocks and is an avid rockhound and was able to sell me a small sample of a wide range of cut and polished pieces and slices for the Solaria Collection. She meticulously labeled each one with a cute sticker and number correlating to a handwritten sheet with ALL the info about each specimen. She is awesome! She was helped by some of the Canterbury Rock & Mineral Club members, from which some of the specimens were originally collected. It is very cool to have this beautiful range from Alice and the legacy pieces like this belong to. This is just a small photographic sampling of the larger collection of NZ minerals. Thanks Alice!