m. One of these stories is, that this stone is originally a fish, which they strike with a gig in the water, tie a rope to it, and drag it to the shore, to which they fasten it, and it afterwards becomes stone. As they all agree, that it is fished out of a large lake, or collection of waters, the most probable conjecture is, that it is brought from the mountains, and deposited in the water, by the torrents. This lake is called by the natives Tavai Poenammoo;
[Footnote] * Bibliographic references will be found in the list of literature cited at the end of the paper.
that is, the water of Green Talc; and it is only the adjoining part of the country, and not the whole southern island of New Zealand, that is known to them by the name which hath been given to it on my chart”; he refers to the map published in the account of his first voyage.
Forster, writing at the same place in 1773 (1778, pp. 18, 19), says: “This stone is commonly brought by the natives from the interior parts of Queen Charlotte's Sound to the South West, in which direction they pointed. We asked for its native place, and they called it Poenamoo, from whence probably the abovementioned part of the country obtained the denomination of Tavai Poenamoo: but next to Motoo-aroo, on the little islet, where the natives formerly had one of their hippa's or strong holds, this stone is found in perpendicular or somewhat oblique veins, of about two inches thickness, in the above-mentioned strata of talcous greyish stone. The nephritic is seldom solid or in large pieces, for the greatest fragments we saw, never exceeded twelve or fifteen inches in breadth, and about two inches in thickness.”
Polack, following Cook in some points, says (1838, pp. 343, 345): “The poenamu … is found in the channel of a river lake, which has a distant communication with the sea. … It is disposed in its natural bed, on the banks of the lake, and, similar to flint, has a whitish incrustation on its outer edges. It lies in layers not of a large size. When first dug from its bed, it is 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 withou