These are the stones we come back to most in our workshop, New Zealand-sourced and imported. Here's what each one looks like, where it comes from, and which of our services it turns up in most.
Basalt
A dense, dark grey-blue volcanic stone, one of the most common building and landscaping stones in New Zealand. Split or flamed for a non-slip texture, or honed smooth for a cleaner look. Handles heavy foot and vehicle traffic well, which is why it turns up so often in driveways, paths and cobbles.
Auckland & Northland
The grey-brown sedimentary rock that makes up much of Auckland and Northland's basement geology, about as local as stone gets. Tough and irregular in shape, it suits rockeries, retaining walls and rugged landscaping features more than fine finishing work.
Sandstone
A pale, honey-toned sandstone, softer and easier to carve than volcanic stone. Suits detailed cladding and feature walls where a warmer, lighter colour is wanted against darker stone.
King Country
A pale limestone quarried at Te Kuiti in the King Country. Like Paradise Sandstone it's soft and workable, which makes it a good choice for cladding, feature walls and sheltered outdoor work.
Taranaki
A hard-wearing grey volcanic stone from Taranaki, with a fine, even texture. Long used as a building stone in New Zealand for its durability, and a common choice for paving and cladding where a consistent grey tone is wanted over the mottling of bluestone.
Coromandel
A dense, crystalline stone quarried on the Coromandel Peninsula. Prized for its hardness and the polish it takes, which makes it a natural fit for benchtops, monuments and any surface that needs to shrug off heavy daily wear.
Imported
A cream to tan porous limestone we import, prized for pavers and tiles around pools and bathrooms since it stays cool underfoot and doesn't get slick when wet. Filled and honed for a smoother indoor finish, or left tumbled for outdoor grip.
Nelson
A hard, pale carbonate stone from Nelson, weather-resistant and long-lasting outdoors. We reach for it in building and restoration work where a durable, understated stone is called for over something showier.
Metamorphic stone
A metamorphic stone valued for its veining and the depth of polish it takes. It's the aggregate behind much of our terrazzo work, and turns up again in fine fabrication pieces where its natural pattern is the whole point.
Working with a stone that isn't listed here? Bring it in, or send us a photo, we work with New Zealand-sourced and imported stone beyond this list too.