found to be of a soft nature, but it hardens on exposure to the air. … The priests … said the poenamu was originally a fish, who, naturally vexed at being unceremoniously taken out of the water, transformed itself into a stone.”
Wilkes (1848, p. 390) says: “This stone is procured from the southern island, near the borders of a small lake, which receives its name from the stone, being called Tewai Pounamu or the Greenstone Water. … Our consul interpreted for me a singular story that the southern natives had invented, relative to these stones: ‘That they were found in a large fish, somewhat resembling a shark, which they were obliged to capture and kill for the purpose of obtaining them. When first taken from the stomach of the fish, the stone is soft, but from exposure becomes hard, and must be wrought in its soft state.’ This story was related by Pomare.” At Akaroa Wilkes (loc. cit., p. 406) reports: “The only account he could give of the locality of this green stone was, that it was found to the southward, in a large bed between two mountains.”
Writing under date January 13, 1844, camped on the south bank of the Waitaki River, Shortland (1851, p. 205) says: “Mokihi completed; but as the wind was strong from the N.E., Huruhuru put off launching them till the morning. Huruhuru's leisure in the evenings was employed in giving me information about the interior of this part of the island, with which he was well acquainted. He drew, with a pencil, the outline of four lakes, by his account, situated nine days' journey inland of us, and only two from the west coast, in a direction nearly due west of our position. One of these, named Wakatipua, is celebrated for the ‘pounamu,’ found
on its shores, and in the mountain torrents which supply it. It is probably the “Wai-pounamu,” of which the natives spoke in reply to the enquiries of Captain Cook and Mr Banks, who supposed it to be the name of the whole island.” In the map facing this statement, which follows the drawing made by Huruhuru, Lake Waka-tipua is described without 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 McKerr