Pounamu Pounamu Pounamu refers to several types of hard, durable and highly valued nephrite jade, bowenite, or serpentinite stone found in southern New Zealand. Pounamu is the Māori name. These rocks are also generically known as "greenstone" in New Zealand English. There are two systems for classifying pounamu. Geologically, the rock falls into the three categories named above, but Māori classify pounamu by appearance. The main classifications are "kawakawa", "kahurangi", "īnanga", and "tangiwai". The first three are nephrite jade, while "tangiwai" is a form of bowenite. In modern usage "pounamu" almost always refers to nephrite jade. Pounamu is generally found in
Ornamental turning of ornamental turning and to restore, maintain and use the old equipment or, to adapt modern lathes for ornamental turning. Some are even bringing the hobby right up-to-date by building computer-controlled O.T. lathes. The accepted definitive published work on ornamental turning is the book "Turning and Mechanical Manipulation", by Charles and John Jacob Holtzapffel. Volume 5, entitled “The Principles and Practice of Ornamental or Complex Turning” is considered to be the "bible" of ornamental turning but there is much related information in the other volumes. Other useful books include: "Ornamental Turning", by J.H.Evans, "The Lathe & Its Uses", by J