Pounamu
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Pounamu is a term for several types of hard and durable stone found in the South Island of New Zealand. They are highly valued in New Zealand, and carvings made from pounamu play an important role in Māori culture.
Pounamu hei matau pendant, a heavily stylized fishhook
The southwest coast of New Zealand is named Te Wai Pounamu ("The greenstone waters"), after its deposits of greenstone, and the area resembles greenstone in this view from space. The term is also the official Māori name for the South Island.
A wide range of pounamu objects
Hei tiki; signs of wear indicate longevity of active possession due to the hard nature of the stone.
South Island
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The South Island, also named Te Waipounamu in Māori, is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, and to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean. The South Island covers 150,437 square kilometres (58,084 sq mi), making it the world's 12th-largest island, constituting 56% of New Zealand's land area. At low altitude, it has an oceanic climate.
South Island
Charcoal rock drawing at Carters rockpool on the Ōpihi River
First European impression of Māori, at Murderers' Bay, 1642
Ships in what is likely to be Akaroa Harbour some time in the early 19th century