Pounamu Artefacts Update - The journey home (Ferrymead,Christchurch Rare find)

January 31st 2012 9am representatives from Ngai Tahu Trust arrived to officially pick up the two Pounamu Toki/Adze I was lucky to find, after they had been bought to the surface by sludge and liquefaction, after one of our many earthquakes.

I was eager to have them taken off my property, but at the same time, was sad to see them go. These are precious, and the moment I seen them I knew they were special, although I had no idea what they were.

I stumbled across the first one, then a foot away, another Pounamu Toki/Adze. They just stuck out as different to the surroundings, although they were covered in sludge. When I picked them up they felt so smooth, little did I know.

Took them home, washed them in water, but still didnt know what they were. I jumped online to use my old friend Google.

Wow! Was I surprised, they were EXACTLY like what I was looking at in some pictures, but those items were something that were only held by the Maori Trust or Mueum. Surely I didnt have such items.

I read a lot over the next couple of months, realising that these special, beautiful items would never be mine. They were by law, the Crowns property till ownership was ascertained. And I read up on the variations, colour differences etc. One interesting page spoke of the special Reddy/Goldy colours that are in some of these, which hold a high Mana, power and respect. Once again, how could I have been so lucky, things like that just dont happen to me.

Finally when the two ladies arrived on behalf of Ngai Tahu, I was told then, that one of them was rare, it was the reddy tinge, and is not something you would come across, let alone, find two of them. The other one was more of a greeny tinge and a little smaller than the one with the reddy colour in it.But one of the representatives told me she believed that they chose me to find them, they would not have made themselves available to anyone else, as she sat there rubbing them, making me realise their importance. She spoke the words to bless them, sorry I cannot pronounce the correct word for this. I felt happy, so privileged and sad, both for me and for these Tokis. And I was so proud that now, hundreds of years later they would find their way home and be treated as important as they are.
I had had dreams about a father and son who seemed to be from many moons ago from the bits I recall, then finding these, it fell into place. But this is still to be known, and that day can't come soon enough.
These powerful items were taken to the museum, then over to the Ministry of Culture and History, then are to be registered. They will be researched and dated. Once dated, then some history may be revealed, which will be passed along to me due to being the offical person recorded as finding them.

Writing this I think of where they are, when they will arrive at their true destination, and hope that one night they will show me in my dreams who they were.

Here are some pics of them I took two nights before they left my property, as I would never again be as honoured.