ow 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 information secured from the Maoris, before the visits to Westland of Brunner and Heaphy, indicated that greenstone was found in the bed of a lake, and most of the informants, including one at Banks Peninsula, placed the lake in Otago. Lake Wakatipu is specified by Shortland, Chapman, and Beattie, while Polack's account, if of any value at all, seems to indicate Lake McKerrow, north-west of Wakatipu, and communicating with the sea by a short channel. The rivers Arahura and Teremakau* in northern Westland are never mentioned by these early informants as a source of supply, though they figure prominently in Maori myths relating to the origin of greenstone and probably provided the greater part of the greenstone used by Maoris in northern districts. The exploration of Westland by Brunner and Heaphy was followed at no long interval by the discovery of gold in Westland. From the auriferous sands and gravels a great amount of greenstone was secured by gold-miners, and came into the market. Lapidaries in New Zealand and overseas found a ready sale for faked curios, at first to the Maoris, and afterwards to tourists and collectors through the Maoris. The fact that Otago had ever produced greenstone was forgotten. Thus, Percy Smith stated (1910, p. 166): “It was the Arahura River, a few miles north of Hokitika, from which place, and its neighbourhood, the pou-namu has always been obtained.” Best stated (1912, p. 159), “Nephrite has only been found in the Taramakau and Arahura Rivers and
[Footnote] * In the Times Atlas the name of this river is spelt Teremakau. Chapman spells it Taramakau. Percy Smith (1910, p. 166) says: “Teremakau, not Taramakau, as usually spelt.” Best (1912, p. 159) says: “Taramakau, not Teremakau, as usually spelt.”
their vicinity.” When Chapman wrote his great paper he named the same district, and denied that the Wakatipu district had ever been a source of supply. Later, as has been seen, on the authority of Rawiri te Maire, he recorded the Dart Valley in Otago as a source.
It is probable that the b