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Pounamu: New Zealand’s Beloved Greenstone

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Pounamu: New Zealand’s Beloved Greenstone
Running water flows over this touchstone in the exhibition, as it would in its natural environment. Canterbury Museum
Lorraine Ferrier
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Slowly, slowly, years of erosion gently unlock pieces of greenstone into the Te Wai Pounamu: the greenstone waters of New Zealand’s South Island, the only place they’re found. This is how “pounamu,” the greenstone revered by New Zealanders, emerges before it settles in riverbeds, or along the coast after being swept out to sea.
The Arahura River on New Zealand's South Island is one of the greenstone waters where pounamu can be found. (Jan Nauta/Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa)
The Arahura River on New Zealand's South Island is one of the greenstone waters where pounamu can be found. Jan Nauta/Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Lorraine Ferrier
Lorraine Ferrier
Author
Lorraine Ferrier writes about fine arts and craftsmanship for The Epoch Times. She focuses on artists and artisans, primarily in North America and Europe, who imbue their works with beauty and traditional values. She's especially interested in giving a voice to the rare and lesser-known arts and crafts, in the hope that we can preserve our traditional art heritage. She lives and writes in a London suburb, in England.
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