Pounamu

Pounamu (greenstone) is found in nature only in the west and south of Te Waipounamu. But this stone, prized for its beauty and strength, has made its way by trade and travel to every part of Aotearoa.

Raureka of Ngāti Wairangi is recorded as pioneering the pounamu trade route from west coast to east across the high mountains. She is remembered in the name Nōti Raureka/Browning Pass.

The three toki (adzes) and the roughed-out toki (adze blank) were found where they’d been left in various places in the Selwyn District. Toki were the heavy-duty cutting tools of the ancestors. Each finished blade represents months of patient and painstaking manufacture, shaping and smoothing with hōaka (sandstone). Master carvers still use toki pounamu alongside metal tools. Ngāi Tahu maintain kaitiakitanga, guardianship, over pounamu, which continues to be a treasured resource.

Toki found at Castle Hill
This toki was found around 1950 at Castle Hill. It was lying exposed on the threshold of a small tunnel-like cave on farmland. Its cutting edge was damaged by children after it was discovered. It also appears darker as it was caught in a house fire.

Toki (adze blank) found at Whakamatau Lake Coleridge
This toki was donated to Canterbury Museum in 1922. It was found at Whakamatau Lake Coleridge after it was exposed as a result of lowering lake levels. It is thought to be a blank brought to Canterbury from the West Coast, ready for manufacturing into a functional toki.

Toki found at Sheffield
Pounamu is the Māori collective term for a semi-precious stone made of nephrite or semi-nephrite. It is also sometimes called New Zealand jade or greenstone. Toki were often used to make waka, to cut down trees, and in building and carving. This toki was found at Sheffield and donated to the Canterbury Museum in 1934.

Toki found near Glentunnel 
The grandson of European settlers in the district donated this toki to Canterbury Museum in 1962. It was found in the Wairiri Valley near Glentunnel. The donor believed that there was a route from Kaiapoi through the Wairiri Valley to Whakamatau Lake Coleridge, and from there over Nōti Raureka to the Hokitika River.