4 May 2020
In the 1970’s Stephen Pye made a significant find on the beach at Otahome, south of Castlepoint. He had found a large sculpted piece of pounamu. With no way of knowing who it belonged to, where it came from, or how it came to be on the beach, he donated it to the museum.
This toki pounamu is made from South Island greenstone, and there was a strong trade in stone in pre-European times, so it could well have been made locally here in the Wairarapa. Pounamu was and still is a treasured stone for Māori, valued for its beauty, strength and durability.
Today, any taonga that is found needs to be reported, and this sets in motion of a process so the rightful owners can claim it.
