Rocking a path all around the world
It was a run-of-the mill rock, one of thousands on a New Zealand beach – until it was plucked from obscurity.
A rock from Rarangi Beach in Marlborough has a new home in the United States, following a twist of fate which saw it travel thousands of kilometres.
The decorative stone, painted by Marlborough Rocks member Ruth Gill from Blenheim, was originally hidden near Bondi Beach, Australia. It ended-up at Bondi Beach in Austin, Texas, almost 14,000km away.
But its journey did not end there. It was later discovered by 7-year-old Luke Larkin and taken a further 1849km to Lake Wylie in South Carolina, taking its total travel tally to about 17,648km.
Dee Dee Larkin says her son was on school break when he found the stone, decorated to look like an Easter egg.
‘‘We were all so excited for him since he was the only family member who had not found a rock.’’
Marlborough Rocks started in Blenheim in 2017 and quickly became a hit. The group has 923 members and is still growing.
The concept of decorating rocks and hiding them across the region captured imaginations and soon rocks were being hidden in their hundreds.
‘‘We have been rock searching for two years and enjoy looking for them and hiding them,’’ DeeDee said.
‘‘We have not hidden our Marlborough Rock yet ... but also we want to leave it in a special hiding spot.’’
Father Craig was quick to find Marlborough Rocks online and posted about the stone’s epic trip.
Gill says she hid the rock when she went to visit family in Sydney in April and was delighted to discover later it had travelled so far.