Pounamu touchstone - Waitangi treaty ground

Pounamu touchstone

This kōhatu pounamu (greenstone) is a koha (gift) from Ngāi Tahu / Ngāti Waewae. It embodies the spirit of Waitangi and you are welcome to touch the stone.

The water here is used in the symbolic cleansing of tapu (sacredness). This ritual is usually carried out when leaving a place of tapu, in this case these galleries which house many sacred taonga and images of ancestors.

People who follow the ritual dip their fingers in the water and sprinkle it over their head and body. 

Touchstone 

Maori zaal, Hundertwasser museum, Whangarai