t qualification as “the famed ‘Waipounamu.’”
Thomson (1859, vol. i, p. 7) says: “In the centre of the Middle Island are tablelands and several extensive lakes; one, called Te Wai Pounamu, is said to be of a green colour, with greenstone rocks forming its banks.” Best, who states that Thomson is evidently following Maori information here (p. 163), records: “In Lieutenant McDonnell's Chart of New Zealand, 1834, the ‘Lake of Greenstone’ is located north of Port Otago.”
Best (1912, p. 159) says: “Mr Chapman states that since writing his paper on greenstone he has ascertained ‘that the rare stone called inanga, named from its resemblance to the colour of whitebait, was found between Mount Alfred and Mount Earnslaw at the head of Lake Wakatipu. My informant, Rawiri te Maire, eighty-five years of age, had never been there; older men had told him. The actual spot is lost.’”
H. Beattie (1920, p. 45) says: “In his admirable paper, … Mr Justice Chapman states that nowhere did the Maori get greenstone in an inland locality, and thus he considers Shortland's statement that it was procured at ‘Lake Wakatipua’ is erroneous. The southern Maori assure me that Shortland's information was correct, and that you can still see the place where the pounamu was got at Te Koroka, a mountain up the Dart River. The old man said, ‘Pounamu of the inaka kind, was found at Te Koroka, at the head of Whakatipu. It was the only place where it was got inland. Takiwai greenstone was found at Milford and elsewhere.’ Another said, ‘Te Koroka, where they got the greenstone, is north of Wakatipu. Taumaro is the name of the mountains between Wakatipu-wai-tai and Wakatipu-wai-maori, and Te Koroka is one of those heights.’”
“Some of the Maori say ‘Wakatipu’ and others ‘Whakatipu.’ It was explained to me that the word occurs in five place-names. The mountains west of the lake are called Whakatipu, and the lake is known as Whakatipu-wai-maori (Fresh-water Whakatipu). The Dart River is Te-awa-Whakatipu, the Hollyford River is Whakatipu-katuku, and Lake McKerrow is Whakatipu-wai-tai (Salt-water Whakatipu). These last three are all on the track by which the Maori went from the head of Lake Wakatipu to Martin's Bay on the West Coast.
“One old Maori said, ‘Under Te Koroka is a place now called Maori Hill, I believe, but known of old as Puketai, after a chief of note who died there. Near this spot stood a kaika called Puia, and there the Maori lived when getting the greenstone. The general name of the whole district north of Lake Wakatipu was Te-wahi-pounamu.’ This last statement conflicts with Mr Justice Chapman's conclusion … that Te-wai-pounamu is the correct form of the
name, although there is nothing to prevent the latter form having been applied to the rivers on the west coast. A chapter could be written on the elision or addition of ‘h’ in the southern dialectal usages; and in any case—again to differ from the conclusions of Mr Justice Chapman—the pronunciation of ‘wai’ and ‘wahi’ by a southern Maori are often so alike as to be indistinguishable save to an acute or trained ear.
“Before leaving the subject of greenstone in the Wakatipu district I may add that Mr James Cowan kindly lent me some notes he had gathered from the southern Maori in 1905, and among them are the following items of information: ‘Beyond the head of Whakatipu on the road to Martin’s Bay, somewhere near Lake Harris Saddle, is the place where the Maori used to get koko-tangiwai.’ ‘Te Koroka is a bold peak at the head of Lake Whakatipu, and the Maori got a sort of coarse greenstone there.’”
“An old Maori said to me, ‘Pekerakitahi is a mountain standing by itself at the head of Wakatipu’ (Mount Earnslaw). ‘There is greenstone in it; because Te Ariki, who lived seven generations ago, took some pounamu from Te Koroka and hid it in Pekerakitahi, where it went like the skin of a tuatara. If you break the rock you will find the greenstone inside. A mountain and creek both called Pekerakitahi are at the head of Lake Wanaka, but it is the Wakatipu mountain I mean.’”
It is remarkable that virtually all the