The Tuia Mātauranga GeoTour is about having fun discovering the history of Aotearoa New Zealand by finding sites of significance in local communities from early Pacific voyaging and migration, European settlement to present day. The interaction between people, and people and the land have provided a rich history that the GeoTour invites you to explore.
To be able to complete this Geotour and receive your special geocoin, remember to take a note of the codeword on the log book of the cache. This will need to be recorded in your passport which can be downloaded from here. If the passport is unavailable for any reason just keep a note of the codeword and try again later.
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Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand’s National Museum.
Open every day 10am–6pm (except Christmas Day). Entry to the museum is free, although charges may apply to some activities and exhibitions. All the locations you need to visit for this Earthcache are free to enter.
Occationally, some of the area you need on Level 4 may be unavailable due to an event being held there. Apologies, but this is something that is out of my control and not necessarily advertised in advance.
This Earthcache focuses on a geological treasure – Pounamu (sometimes called greenstone of nephrite Jade). But sometimes it’s not green, or even the same rock type!
Earthcache requirements:
You will visit a display of the different types of Pounamu, and after viewing the named examples, you should then be able to identify the type of one of the larger examples located nearby.
Answers to ALL the questions are required to claim the find - not just 'a photo of you by the big rock'.
Location one (Level 2).
The published coordinates bring you to the entrance on ‘Te Taiao’ (Nature exhibition zone). There is a boulder at the entrance.
However, this is not Pounamou, but an entirely different mineral! Aotea stone, a kind of rock found only in the Maitahi area. It comprises bands of fuchsite (green), kyanite (blue) and quartz (white).
Head on up to Level 4: (two locartions to visit)
Location Two (Level 4)
Te Marae, Level 4 (off Mana Whenua, or go up the ramp from Level 2). You will find a large Pounamu (greenstone) boulder.
Logging Requirement:
- Post a photo of yourself or a personal item (e.g. a piece of paper with your geocaching name) with the boulder visible to prove your visit. Touching the Boulder is not required.
- Describe the appearance of the boulder (colour, shading etc).
Location Three - Mana Whenua. (Level 4)
There is a small exhibition of six display cases of Pounamu, and some information boards about Pounamu and its uses. Study the items in the display cases, and answer the following questions:
Please note that for Copyright and cultural reasons photography is not permitted in this area.
Logging requirements:
- Identify the Type of Pounamu each item is made from in the following display cases: (5 items in total)
“Symbol of Mana” What type Is Item 2? (Mere Pounamu, 1700-1800)
“Woodworking Tools”, What type is item 5? (Whakakai, (pendant))
What type is item 9? (Hei Tiki 1700-1800)
Untitled case (Lowest of the cases) What type is item 3?
What type is item 8? (both labelled Hei Tiki)
- Finally, considering the examples you have just viewed, please state what type of Pounamu you consider the large boulder to be, and why.
Please send this information to me. I will confirm your replies are correct, and will provide the Keyword to use when completing the GeoTour.
If you are caching as part of a group, I am happy for one person to send me the answers on behalf of the group, IF they list the caching names of ALL those they are submitting the answers for.
This will need to be recorded in your passport which can be downloaded from here. If the passport is unavailable for any reason just keep a note of the codeword and try again later.
There are other examples of Pounamu located throughout the museum, but you also don’t need those for this geocache.
Some information which may be helpful / of interest.
What is Pounamu and how was it formed?
Pounamu in the form of nephrite and semi-nephrite occurs in Scott Basin, Lake Wakatipu, West Otago, New Zealand. High quality nephrite is hard (6- 6.5 on the Mohs scale), and is typified by un-oriented, interwoven, short fibres of actinolite.
20 kilometres below the Earth’s surface, iron- and magnesium-rich rock is forced against silica- and alumina-rich rock, resulting in.Pounamu deing formed over millions of years from heat and pressure on the different kinds of rock (making it a metamorphic rock).
There are many complex interactions that can occur in jade and the emerald-green colour it is most commonly associated with it is due to the presence of chromium. Whilst jade is mostly known for its green colour, variations exist that span from a colourless translucent hue through to yellow, orange, pale blue, pale violet or lavender, burnt-maroon, red, grey, and brown. The multiple colours in jade are caused by a few different factors. Some of the variations are mineral tinting on grain boundaries, for example, hydrous iron oxides are responsible for the red, orange and brown tones. The darker green streaks are caused by an iron compound, while the grey and black is caused by graphite.
When pounamu is found in rivers or on beaches it will be covered in a white milky "soapy" exterior. Sometimes the sediments and other rough surfaces will polish the stone to its more recognisable green.
What different kinds of Pounamu are there?
Pounamu is generally classified based on colour, and whether any inclusions are present. The main classifications are kawakawa, kahurangi, īnanga, and tangiwai. The first three are nephrite jade, while tangiwai is a form of bowenite.
- Inanga is a pearly-white or grey-green pounamu. It takes its name from a native freshwater fish (Galaxias maculatus) and is pearly-white or grey-green in colour and varies from translucent to opaque. It is a softer stone and when worn it absorbs the natural oils of the body deeply and can turn light brown.
- Kahurangi is a highly translucent, vibrant green pounamu with lighter streaks. It is named after the clearness of the sky and is the rarest variety of pounamu
- Kakotea is a streaky dark-green pounamu with black spots.
- Kawakawa is dark-green pounamu with varying shades, often with flecks or inclusions, and is named after the leaves of the native kawakawa tree (Macropiper excelsum). It is the most common variety of pounamu and is a very popular stone for carving because of its abundance and ability to hold most shapes.
- Kōkopu Many colour variations from light to dark browns, creamy whites, light blues, olive greens to yellow even golden. Kōkopu is most recognizable by its distinctive brown spots which are very similar to the native fresh water mountain trout from which it gets its name. In the beginning of NZ’s jade industry this stone was usually discarded because it was not gem grade.
- Pīpīwharauroa a rare type usually found in the inanga, tangiwai and dark kawakawa varieties. Named after the shining cuckoo, the green and white shimmering plumage are similar to the thin bands of light that cause a chatoyant effect like a cat’s eye as the stone is moved about.
- Raukaraka. a rare form of kawakawa pounamu. It is named after the leaf of the karaka tree because of the orange colour that the thick oxidized crust takes on from the earth’s minerals. The flesh of this pounamu is usually olive to light green in colour.
- Totoweka is an especially rare type of pounamu, usually streaked with white or spotted red. The name refers to the blood of the Weka (a New Zealand bird).
- Tangiwai, which looks like pounamu is actually a different type of rock, also known as bowenite. This is a very translucent, olive-green to bluish-green type of serpentine. The name comes from the word for the tears that come from great sorrow.
Where is Pounamu found?
Pounamu is found on the West Coast of the South Island (in particular, the Arahura River). It is brought to the surface by earthquakes.
How was this used?
Māori used pounamu for practical and ceremonial objects, including tools such as toki (adzes), weapons such as mere (short-handled bladed weapons), and jewellery such as hei tiki (pendants in human form). Pounamu is traditionally carved by hand and rubbed with sandstone. It can be hardened in fire to make tools.
What does Māori mythology tell us about how Pounamu got into the Arahura River?
Legend tells of a taniwha (monster or spirit) named Poutini who lived on the West Coast of the South Island. He fell in love with a woman named Waitaiki and abducted her. Waitaki’s husband chased after the taniwha, but as he was closing in, Poutini took Waitaki to the mouth of the Arahura River and turned her into pounamu, an aspect of his being. Today, Poutini is considered the spiritual guardian of pounamu, as well as of the land and people of the West Coast.
Additional resources.
You can find all the information you need for this Earthcache by looking at the examples on display, but these links may be of interest.
https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/category/48
https://www.tuhurutaonga.nz/pounamu-types/
https://www.mountainjade.co.nz/pages/types-of-jade-new-zealand
https://www.ngaitahupounamu.com/pounamu
http://theses.otagogeology.org.nz/items/show/470