Pounamu - New Zealand Greenstone

The name Pounamu is very ancient. It is the name given to New Zealand Jade by Nahue, one of the first Maori to visit and explore New Zealand. Nahue was a stone worker of great mana and had searched far and wide for "The Stone of the Gods". He is believed to have come from an Island in eastern Polynesia, possibly Easter Island.

Mere Pounamu is a star that when seen in the sky over eastern Polynesia signals the time to set sail for the distant shores of Aotearoa, The Waka of the Gods, New Zealand. This star flashes with the colours green, white, blue & brown. When Nahue beheld the beautiful Jade he saw all these colours in the stone. Ancient custom says everything in the stars is reflected in the Earth so he named the Jade "Pounamu", after the star that guided him across the Pacific to discover "The Stone of the Gods" in Aotearoa.