pounamu

General term for greenstone found on South Island, New Zealand. The term refers to any of three different types of stone: nephrite, bowenite, and serpentinite. Maori do not classify pounamu by geological origin, but by appearance according to color, markings, and translucency. There are many local names for different pounamu, but four main varieties are widely recognized: inanga, kahurangi, kawakawa, and tangiwai.