An emerging community project in Tasman, Aotearoa New Zealand
Our Vision
Solaria - Sanctuary of Soul & Stone
Solaria is an emerging community project with crystals, rocks, and minerals at its core, currently taking shape in Tasman, Aotearoa New Zealand.
Founded by Amanda Sears and co-stewarded with her daughter, Emma Sophia, Solaria is envisioned as a place where people come together to reconnect — with each other, with the Earth, and with the wider systems that shape our lives — through the natural wonder of the mineral kingdom.
Here, visitors are invited to encounter mineral specimens as records of deep time and creativity; to explore them through science, art, story, and sensory experience; and to engage with the materials that quietly underpin our landscapes, cultures, technologies, and everyday lives.
Solaria honours minerals not as objects of belief, but as ancient participants in life on Earth — geologically, culturally, and practically. Formed over immense spans of time, they carry the imprint of planetary processes still unfolding today. Found in soil, stone, tools, food systems, infrastructure, and modern technology, minerals weave through every aspect of human life. They connect us — to place, to history, and to one another — inviting curiosity, respect, and relationship with the natural world.
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Solaria Starts as a Seed
Every living system begins with a seed.
The idea for Solaria emerged quietly, through years of observing, exploring, collecting, learning, and living — not as a fixed plan, but as a culmination of dreams and visions over Amanda's lifetime that converged into one coherent vision alongside the growing recognition that minerals were a tangible thread that connects it all.
As specimens arrived from near and far — purchased beauties, New Zealand specimens, inherited family collections, microminerals, everyday rocks, and rare geological treasures — the seed took form. What began as personal learning became a shared vision: a place where minerals could be cared for, explored, and encountered in ways that honour both knowledge and wonder.
On 21 September 2025, a seed form of Solaria was formally opened from the Sears family home in Richmond, Tasman. Visitors were welcomed by appointment to view the growing collections, explore the shop, and glimpse the sanctuary taking shape behind the scenes.
Unfolding in Gentle Phases
Solaria is unfolding in aligned, organic phases — not as a rigid timeline, but as a journey shaped by readiness, relationship, and right timing.
Phase One focuses on gathering, curating, cataloguing, and caring for the mineral heart of Solaria. This includes building the collections, documenting specimens, developing educational resources, and strengthening community connections.
Phase Two is now open: seeking aligned individuals, philanthropists, collaborators, and not-for-profit investment partners to help secure and develop a dedicated public site where Solaria can grow into its next expression.
Future phases will continue to build outward — into gardens, learning spaces, creative studios, gathering places, and regenerative innovation — each layer growing from the one before it.
From Humble Beginnings
Before there are buildings, there are benches.
Solaria has grown from stones stored in bedrooms, dining rooms, and garages; from specimens unpacked, cleaned, sorted, and studied on kitchen benches and dining tables; from conversations shared over meals and late nights of learning.
This grounded beginning matters. It keeps Solaria human, practical, and honest — rooted in care rather than spectacle. Visitors are invited into this unfolding story, not as observers of a finished vision, but as witnesses to a living one.
The Anatomy of a Name
Solaria is a name shaped by light, resonance, and place.
SOL speaks to the Sun — to fire, illumination, and the energy that sustains life. It also carries an echo of soul: the inner warmth and animating presence within all living systems.
ARIA suggests both song and space — an expression that carries feeling, movement, and meaning. In music, an aria is a moment of clear voice within a larger composition.
SOLAR reflects the energetic systems that shape our planet, while –ia speaks to place: a field, a realm, a living environment.
Together, Solaria can be read as a place of light and resonance — a space where energy, matter, and expression meet.
SOLARIA - Song of the Sun
A living sanctuary shaped by light, curiosity, and the deep material stories of Earth.
What Solaria Will Be Home To
Solaria is envisioned as a layered community sanctuary, bringing together multiple ways of engaging with the mineral world:
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The Hall of Memory — a mineral museum honouring deep time, geological process, and Earth history
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The Living Library — a tactile, relational space where books, minerals, plants, and people meet
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The Learning Space — hands-on exploration across science, culture, creativity, and story
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The Mineral Gallery — showcasing mineral art, photography, sculpture, and creative expression
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The Solaria Boutique — ethically sourced crystals, art, books, educational kits, jewelry, and meaningful gifts
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Future Potentials — Cafe Lumina, wandering crystal filled garden and community gardens. Boutique retreat cottages, family friendly play spaces, and a future living wing exploring relationships between technology, nature, and human systems
Each space is designed to stand on its own while weaving into a coherent whole.
CONCEPT ART GALLERY: Here’s a little taste to spark your imagination of what we’re envisioning.
Meet The Sears Family
Solaria is a family-led initiative founded by Amanda Sears, alongside her daughter Emma Sophia, with the support of her husband John.
Together, they steward Solaria as a long-term, intergenerational project shaped by learning, listening, creativity, and care. Their work bridges practical knowledge and intuitive understanding, science and story, structure and imagination.
Solaria is also shaped by a growing constellation of supporters, educators, collectors, artists, scientists, families, and collaborators who contribute their time, knowledge, resources, and perspectives as the project evolves.
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Continue the Journey
For a deeper look at the full vision, future spaces, and long-term possibilities, we invite you to explore the Solaria Vision Guide.
You can also stay connected through our eNewsletter for updates, events, and opportunities to be involved as Solaria continues to take shape.
Solaria is not a finished destination.
It is a place growing — slowly, carefully, and with intention.
And you are warmly welcome within that unfolding.
We Invite You To Create Solaria With Us
Solaria exists as a for-potential, not-for-profit social enterprise. All contributions support the growth of the sanctuary, its collections, educational initiatives, and long-term public accessibility.
There are many ways to support and participate:
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Make a donation towards development, collections, and equipment
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Offer equipment, minerals, expertise, or in-kind support
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Introduce aligned land, funding, or partnership opportunities
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Share Solaria through conversation and community networks
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Donate stones through our upcoming Rehome a Stone / Adopt a Rock programme
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Connect with Amanda to say "Hi!" - we love hearing from people who have found Solaria!
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Visit us for a private home viewing or RSVP to our monthly pop up shop openings (see Events page)
*For donations: You can donate directly here using Stripe for debit/credit cards or please contact Amanda at hello@searsco.nz to explore other ways to contribute (including NZ Bank Deposit).
**For NZ friends, to avoid transaction and conversion fees, direct bank deposit is available. Please email Amanda for our NZ bank details. This option is fee-free and goes directly to us — thank you for your support. **For large donations please contact us directly to discuss.
Private viewings by donation are available by appointment in Richmond, Tasman, for those who wish to see the journey unfolding behind the scenes. Please email Amanda to arrange a suitable time: hello@searsco.nz
**We are so grateful for all who have donated and supported us so far. Thank You! We have received enough money to do a test art print and Crystal Oracle proof print + pay for this website. We have been donated some incredible foundational mineral collections, as well as the generous gift of our first lot of crystals for our 'Rehome a Stone / Adopt a Rock' programme! We have visited other beautiful local collections and connected with amazing people from around NZ and the world! Thank you. This is only the beginning.**
Clarity & Transparency
Solaria is currently in its foundational phase — a living beginning where the heart of the sanctuary is taking shape. At present, this means actively building and caring for the collections, library, and educational tools that will form the core of Solaria’s future public space.
Support received at this stage directly contributes to the growth of these foundations: the thoughtful acquisition of mineral specimens, careful cataloguing, preservation, and the creation of learning resources that will serve generations to come.
While the long-term vision includes a dedicated physical site, Solaria is unfolding step by step, guided by alignment rather than fixed timelines. Contributions do not represent a promise of completion by a specific date, but they are essential in making what comes next possible.
Every donation, gifted collection, and act of support is honoured as part of Solaria’s living legacy. We are committed to openness, regular updates, and sharing how this collective support is shaping Solaria as it grows.
