Timaru Bluestone

The crafting of blocks and capping stones needed to restore South Canterbury’s beautiful old bluestone buildings and bridges was the seed that eventually grew into the formation of Timaru Bluestone Industries Limited. A vision was conceived for a plant fabricating basalt products for the creation of truly New Zealand heritage buildings and cityscapes for future generations.
The company was born by making pavers and kerbing for the Timaru City CBD, with the company being incorporated in 1995. Since its inception great importance has been placed on immaculate quality, timely delivery and reliability that exceed customers’ expectations.

With extensive detailed knowledge and experience in the industry, the Timaru Bluestone Team has proved an invaluable source of practical advice for architects, designers and tradesmen.

From the eruptions of Mt Horrible to the west of Timaru flowed lava rivers that cooled into long bluffs and ridges of a blue/grey vesicular basalt rock, run through with veins and features the equal of which is not found anywhere else in New Zealand. Each piece of rock is unique and creates a product that is unaffected by weather, is low in maintenance, non slip and will last for generations. It is naturally beautiful, genuinely New Zealand and its versatility is unparalleled.

Architects, civil engineers and town planners are becoming increasingly aware of this wonderful and versatile stone, and the seemingly endless applications for it. As it continues to be specified by these designers for new and prestigious projects, a lasting heritage is being established in our country for generations to come.

Our Bluestone Quarry

We are fortunate to operate our own bluestone quarry about 15 minutes drive from our fabrication site in Timaru City. The quarry operation employs two full time staff to meet the supply requirements of our factory. Equipment at the quarry consists of a drilling rig, a 45 tonne excavator and two purpose built quarry saws that cut the extracted boulders into billets. These billets when delivered to our factory can go directly under one of the large slab cutting diamond saws.

Plant and Machinery 

The processing of Timaru Bluestone requires the use of diamond cutting machinery. We have several computer controlled diamond saws that are central to our day to day stone fabrication, we also have an automated calibration and polishing line, a stone lathe capable of producing columns up to 800mm diameter, a huge guillotine for our natural face units and several manually operated tools and machines to assist our skilled workers in the manufacturing processes.

The process from: the Quarry to the Lorry

The Stone

When Mt Horrible erupted, a sheet of lava flowed over about 130 square kilometres west of Timaru, and cooled into long bluffs and ridges of a blue/grey vesicular basalt rock, run through with veins and features the equal of which is not found anywhere else in New Zealand.

This basalt is now known as Timaru Bluestone.

The Quarry

Our quarry is located about 15 minutes drive from our fabrication site in West Timaru. The quarry operation employs two full time staff to meet the supply requirements of our factory.

Equipment at the quarry allows for the excavation of boulders from the quarry face, and for the boulders to be cut down into billets, which are more manageable and easier to transport.

The Plant

The main operation of Timaru Bluestone happens at our plant on Coonoor Road in Timaru, which is a two acre site containing multiple large sheds and buildings to house all of the equipment needed to manufacture our bluestone products.

Here you’ll find bluestone at all stages of the manufacturing process, along with a 20-tonne excavator, and several forklifts for moving stone around the yard.

The Process

Machinery at the Timaru Bluestone takes the billets from the quarry through the cutting and finishing processes to packing on pallets.

The billets are first cut into slabs at the required thickness, then the slabs are squared off at the correct dimensions with a bridge saw. These trimmed slabs are then put through the polishing line where they are calibrated for thickness and the desired finish is achieved. The finished product is finally packed onto pallets ready for shipping.

Quality and Safety

Quality is paramount at Timaru Bluestone, from the initial selection of likely boulders at the quarry, through to post-production checks at the plant. Signs of weakness in the rock, colouring abnormalities, oversized holes caused by air bubbles, or damaged surfaces are picked up during the process and discarded.

We are a very safety-concious company, and take great care in our processes to ensure that our staff and visitors are protected at all times from hazards and potentially dangerous machinery.