How New Zealand sea glass helped heal my hurting heart

By Toni Cusick

On a road trip from Florida to Maine, my husband and I were introduced to the world of sea glass. Having spent my whole life on the Gulf Coast of Florida, sea glass was mentioned, but I’d never found a scrap of it in all my years on the beach. I didn’t really give it much thought. But that has all changed.

My husband and I retired in 2023. We volunteer in our community, we do a tremendous amount of walking, and we read, but travel is a top priority to us. While visiting Maine in June of 2023, we walked into a gift shop that sold sea glass jewelry. It was very pretty so we asked where the sea glass came from. The shop owner graciously told us of a little cove nearby where the jewelry designer found it. We immediately went there and scored a few pieces. This led us to do some research—as most new sea glass enthusiasts say they do—and I soon found out why. Hours spent reading up only fueled our interest.

A couple years ago, we suffered a devastating family loss which left us in a dark place for quite a while, but New Zealand basically came calling. Our daughter has lived there for five years, but we had never been, so she encouraged us to come visit. Having not seen her in so long, we knew that October 2023 would be the time to go. So, after extensive planning, saving, applying for visas, and packing our bags, we took the very long plane ride to New Zealand.

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Landing there caused an immediate shift in our emotions. Seeing our daughter after so long was indescribable, and we not only found the peace we had been hoping for, but so much more. New Zealand just has this “good energy,” as I like to describe it. We were based in Wellington, and we went to so many different excellent cafés that I lost count, along with several museums, all free of charge. There are a few lighthouses (we’re lighthouse enthusiasts) and many wineries a couple of hours away with the best wine I’ve ever had.

All the reviews are true: New Zealand is breathtaking, and to date the most magnificent place I’ve ever been. Wellington is in the southernmost point of New Zealand’s North Island. December to March is their summer. They call the city “Windy Welly” for a reason, as on some days the wind could blow you over and other days called for a light sweater, even in summer.

Wellington has great beaches, with litter-free shores, the bluest water, huge nature-defying rock formations that rise up from the sea, and almost no people. We stayed at an Airbnb, and we were on foot most of the time. Public transportation is excellent for going downtown and surrounding areas. We did use a car to venture further out to see lighthouses (Castlepoint and Cape Palliser Lighthouses were magical), and even hopped a plane to the stunning South Island. Near Queenstown, we visited Fiordland National Park which was called the “Eighth Wonder of the World” by writer Rudyard Kipling, along with Mount Cook and Abel Tasman National Park on Golden Bay. We then took a road trip with our daughter to the Coromandel region and stopped at the geothermal spas in Rotorua.

We went out to a spot near Wellington called Lyall Bay. Shortly after I stepped on the sand, I looked down and saw a gorgeous piece of yellow sea glass. My heart skipped a beat. We were literally giddy with joy. Sandy Lyall Bay, however, is not the rocky cove we had thought would provide the best chance of sea glass, so we headed out to find different coves.

Near where we were staying, we came across a bay with several rocky sections. We walked down a few concrete steps and instantly arrived at the shoreline. We were in awe at the vast amount of sea glass at our feet. We began picking up piece after piece—white, brown, amber, green, weathered, beautifully frosted, and so special.

We happened upon another small stretch of shoreline, but didn’t see much there besides a young girl lost in a book. We struck up a conversation and told her what we were looking for. She told us of a spot that had different-colored sea glass. Armed with this new information, we made our way to the next cove but couldn’t find any special glass.

Still determined, we went back the next day. And there, at this lovely spot, we found beautiful sea glass. It became our go-to spot to visit. Always mindful of the high tides, we found blues, greens, lavenders, an orange, and a couple of multicolored. Time, nature, the ferocious sea, the outer-lying Cook Strait, and the tide provided us immense joy and healing in the form of lovely sea glass.

We were in New Zealand for six glorious months. We loved the mountains, the oceans, the food, the people, and the wildlife. Everyone we encountered was polite, helpful, and seemed truly interested in us. In New Zealand, we found a place to feel connected and a place to heal.

In our time there, we didn’t find anyone who was looking for sea glass. We did come across one lone woman hunting for fossils and we exchanged numbers. Having been an avid shell collector for years, somehow, I got lost in a “sea glass bubble” and it became my main focus. I did pick up some sea-tumbled pottery and finding a piece with the “Wellington” stamp mark on it was special.

There are several moments from this journey that will always stand out to me: My husband finding a perfect piece of red sea glass, the thrill of finding my first cobalt blue, my husband returning from a run at our favorite cove with lavender pieces, finding a chunk of pirate glass, and yelling out like a kid when I discovered a morsel of orange. These moments made us feel lighter and let us believe in happiness again. We sent four pounds of sea glass back home, but postage from New Zealand is expensive. I kept the rare ones with me on the plane home when we returned in April 2024.

I have not begun to do anything with all our finds. For now, I lay it out on the table, run my fingers over the pieces, marveling at how smooth they are. I wonder what they used to be, where they came from, how they made their way to those special coves, and my heart heals a little with each treasured piece.

All photos courtesy of Toni Cusick except as marked.

This article appeared in Beachcombing Magazine Volume 46 the January/February 2025 issue.