Collection Search

Pounamu pendant, piece broken off at the distal end. Mid green with high translucency. Surface is ground and flaked. Projection knob at the proximal end (appears to have been reworked from a broken suspension hole). Kinked just below the projection.

Complete adze. Cross-section of butt is oval, cross-section of blade is rectangular. Surface is mostly smooth, with bruising down proper right side and proper left of poll. There is minor differentiation between butt and blade, small frontal reduction, sides taper to poll. The bevel is demarcated by a line, cutting edge is sharp and curved.

Broken pounamu pendant, proximal end remaining. Pendant curves at distal end, where the tip of the pendant is broken off. There is a central perforation at the proximal end of the pendant.

Massim red shell money

Complete pounamu pendant. Mid-green and light brown, translucent with inclusions. Cross section is lenticular. Surface is ground smooth, with some bruising on one side of the proximal end. Pendant is rectangular, tapering to the proximal end with an oblique edge. Four complete suspension holes, two drilled mostly from the front and two drilled mostly from the back. Evidence of a broken out suspension hole on the proximal edge.

Complete tatua. Plaited flax man's war belt. Natural colouration. Made in one piece, with sides folded over and then folded over longitudinally - unstitched long the bottom edge. Plaited in over two, under two twill with loose flax strands from commencement and finish lying loosely inside belt. Darker dyed three ply plaited fibre braid attached to each end.

Complete kawakawa pounamu ear pendant. Shape is long cylinder with rounded, blunt distal end. Surface is ground. Suspension hole at proximal end. Poll of proximal flattened. Light flaking at the proximal end. There are light green inclusions throughout the pendant.

Complete pounamu adze. Cross-section is rectangular. Surface is ground with flaking on the proper right of the poll. Major differentiation of the poll, with the sides reducing. The bevel is demarcated by a straight line. The cutting edge is curved and blunt. There is a drilled hole on the proper left of the poll.

Complete tangiwai (bowenite) pendant. Adze shape. There is a white inclusion up the centre of the front. There is a white semi-circular inclusion on the proper left. There is a suspension hole at the proximal end, drilled from the front. There is minor differentiation of the butt and blade, with the sides tapering towards the proximal end. There is a bevel continuous with the blade. The cutting edge is curved and blunt.

Broken barbed one-piece bone fishhook, point and tip remaining. Barb is on the internal lateral margin. There are deep notches on the external lateral margin, at the site of the break. The tip is blunt.

Broken pendant. Cross-section is rectangular. The surface is ground on front, bruised on back. The sides of the proximal end are oblique, meeting at the proximal tip, that is flattened. There is a large perforation at this end. The distal end is blunt and curved, heavily chipped.

Complete chisel. Bevel demarcated by lines on both sides, cutting edge is sharp and straight. Cross-section is oval, no tapering of sides. Proximal end is rough, other surfaces are ground.

Complete pounamu pendant in bird form. Dark green with dark grey and silver chatoyant bands. Surface is ground smooth on one side, with a sawing mark running the length of the pendant, and the other side is bruised. Pendant has previously been broken in two pieces near the centre and glued back together. Proximal end is in the shape of a bird head, with a rounded top, a beak-like projection on one side edge, and a suspension hole (drilled from both sides) representing the bird eye. Pendant curves out at the stomach with a corresponding inward curve at the back. Distal ends curves and tapers to one side, representing tail feathers.

Complete kawakawa pendant. Rough adze shape, potentially roughout of a hei tiki. Surface ground. Suspension hole drilled at proximal end. The suspension hole is drilled diagonally up from the front to back. There is minor differentation between poll and blade, with the sides reduced. The proper left lateral margin has been asymmetrically reduced towards the poll. The back has a bevel continuous with the blade. The cutting edge has a steep concave wearing.

Complete pendant. There are two narrow projections at the proximal end of the pendant, with a perforation sitting just below these projections, all slightly off-centre. One side of the pendant is straight, the opposite side has a wide notch. Bottom edge is bevelled, but cutting edge is dull.

Broken pounamu pendant in an anthropomorphic form, part of distal end not present. Dark green with black inclusions, highly transparent. Surface is ground smooth. Projection at the proximal end, with a suspension hole drilled mostly from the back and a knob on the proper left side edge. Two curved projections jut out on either side edge, representing arms or wings. Tapers in the centre with straight side edges, representing a torso. Distal end has one curved projection on the proper left side representing a leg, but the proper right side leg has broken off. V-shaped projection at the centre of the distal edge, possibly representing a penis.

Complete hei tiki pounamu pendant. Head turned to the proper right. A diagonal suspension hole is drilled from both sides, sloping towards the back of the tiki. Arms bent to rest on thighs, no fingers evident. Three toed feet join in the middle with three perforations distinguishing top toes and legs. Perforations distinguish arms. The small of the back has been reduced.

Complete pounamu chisel. Mid-green with silver inclusions. Surface is ground. Rectangular shape and cross section. Tapers toward the poll or the proximal end. Distal end is straight and blunt, with an oblique bevel demarcated by a line on each side.

Burnt and broken poutokomanawa (carved wharenui building component). Male figure, not stylized, with head large in comparison to body. Painted dark red with black lips and eyes. Moko also painted in black but obscured on proper right side (as a result of fire exposure?). Nose and chin indicated. Five-fingered proper left hand rests on abdomen, proper right hand below. Right arm and hand have been broken and burnt (thumb is the only remaining digit). Entire left leg is missing. Burn marks apparent throughout, especially below abdomen and on the back side. Attached at the feet to a square black pedestal.

Complete bone point from a composite fishpoint. The interior lateral margin has a barb. The external lateral margin is notched at the base. The tip comes to a blunt point.