Hessey Collection
Donated By Rachel Hessey (2026)
This small, well-cared-for collection of rocks, crystals, and fossils reflects a personal geological journey rooted in family history and science. The specimens were mostly hand-collected on trips, with some purchased during travels or gifted by family and friends from New Zealand and abroad between the 1960s and 1990s.
An agate slice used as a paper weight.
About The Hessey Collection
Born profoundly deaf in the South Island town of Gore in 1953, Rachel moved with her parents and two sisters to Sumner in 1954 to attend the Sumner School for the Deaf, where she grew up surrounded by the sea and rocky landscapes. Rachel’s interest in nature and rocks began at age eight, encouraged by family heritage and her science teacher father.
Family trips in the 1960s took her to key geological locations across New Zealand—including Waipara, Birdlings Flat, Mt Somers, and Central Otago—where she fossicked and built her early collection. After high school in 1970, her focus shifted to working in the medical laboratory field, leaving little spare time for hobbies. However, during a break in employment, she returned to the earth sciences and completed a NZ Certificate in Science in 1995, which included Stage 3 Geology.
Alongside her lifelong love for nature and minerals, Rachel has enjoyed a wide variety of creative pursuits, including painting landscape artwork of rocks. As she winds down her hobbies to declutter, Rachel has entrusted these treasures to Solaria to continue inspiring, educating, and sharing the wonder of Earth’s natural history with future generations.
Specimens from the Davis Collection
A small initial selection. More uploaded soon.
