Soapstone
D'Urville Island, Marlborough Sounds, Marlborough Region, New Zealand
A piece of soapstone from the beach beside the wharf at Kapowai Bay, D'Urville Island. It is smooth and so soft that even my No. 2 hardness point will scratch it. The boat ramp beside the wharf is a large bed of soapstone which I believe has now been concreted over. Rocks in the surrounding cliffs have been heavily serpentinized.