The Quest for Pounamu - Hokitika...again

Greenstone (Pounamu) is nephrite jade.

The Story of Pounamu, The Sacred Stone of Aotearoa

Long ago, when there were different stars in the heavens, the ancestors sailed the oceans seeking the stone of the Gods.

When they came to the shores of Aotearoa, to the Arahura river, they found a stone born of the stars, and held it close to heal the people and the land. They called it Pounamu.

For more than a thousand years the trail walkers of the Waitaha nation moved this precious stone over the high passes of the Southern Alps on the peace trail. There it gained its mana, a wonderful birthright of spiritual power.

Then it was carried by the great double-hulled waka to all parts of the land, and the old homelands of the Pacific Rim.

Name your stone for it is your companion on the trails of life. In accord with ancient lore it is usually gifted, its enduring power is being given with love.

It is a stone of the wairua, the world of the spirit realm that surrounds all.

Pounamu plays a very important role in Māori culture. It is considered a taonga (treasure). Pounamu taonga increase in mana (prestige) as they pass from one generation to another. The most prized taonga are those with known histories going back many generations. These are believed to have their own mana and were often given as gifts to seal important agreements.

Pounamu taonga include tools such as chisels (whao) and adzes (toki), fishing hooks and lures, and bird leg rings (kaka poria); weapons such as mere (short handled clubs); and ornaments such as pendants (hei tiki, hei matau and pekapeka), ear pendants, and cloak pins.

It is found only in the South Island of New Zealand, known in Māori as Te Wai Pounamu ("The [land of] Greenstone Water") or Te Wahi Pounamu ("The Place of Greenstone").

In 1997 the Crown handed back the ownership of all naturally occurring pounamu to the South Island tribe Ngāi Tahu, as part of the Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement (sounds like something they’d do in Canada).

When we hit the west coast Cynthia decided that I would make her a "gift" of pounamu. Which is convenient because we would be crossing the legendary Arahura river at Hokitika. One of Cynthia's traits that makes her the perfect female is that she hates to shop. Consequently, when we got to Hokitika she decided that she didn't need my "gift" after all. So northward ho!

Subsequently our travels led us from Hokitika to Greymouth, Westport, Karamea, Westport...again, Inangahua, Reefton, Stillwater, Moana and the highway to Arthur's Pass at Inchbonnie; when Cynthia suddenly discovered that I needed to make her a "gift" of Pounamu after all. That meant back to Hokitika...again. At Hokitika we got a cabin at the same place as we did for the "Big Storm".

The next day we set out on the task of obtaining the perfect pendant. We were stunned to discover (not) that greenstone jewelry is a huge bus tour industry with at least a dozen shops in this small town disgorging vast quantities of this "rare and spiritual" form of jewelry.

For an indication of just how rare this substance is, note the shop name on the left

After due consideration, Cynthia decided my "gift" should be Te Manaia.

Te Manaia gift shop Maori meaning: The Guardian Angel, representing the balance between sky, earth and water. It has the head of a bird, the body of a man and tail of a fish.

Williams' Dictionary of the Maori Language gives the following meanings for manaia: a grotesque beaked figure sometimes introduced in carving; ornamental work, a lizard; the sea-horse; a raft; and, as an adjective, fastidious.

Boy, I wonder which is correct?

One of the biggest greenstone shops in Hokitika is called The Jade Factory, which pretty much sums up the rarity of this form of decoration. Well, I wasn't going to buy anything from a shop with the word factory in it's name, so we found a small little shop where the saleslady is genuine Maori and the the pieces are all guaranteed to be made from New Zealand greenstone (many are made from British Columbia jade, unbenownst to the purchaser). The workshop was right on site ("the brother of my sister does the carving, my sister's brother does the polishing", yada, yada, yada).

Rare raw materials

Bottom line, Cynthia got her gift. As you can see from the myth above, the recipient must name their gift for it bears great spiritual meaning and will be with you forever. Cynthia named hers Shirley.