Te Waipounamu means “the water of greenstone”. It was originally called Wāhi Pounamu, meaning “place of greenstone” by Maori.
The legend of New Zealand goes something like this :
Māui was a demigod who tamed the sun and brought fire into the world. He also created New Zealand. According to Maori folklore, one night Māui’s four brothers planned to go fishing and leave him behind. He overheard them and hid under the floorboards of the canoe until they were far at sea. He carved a fishhook from his ancestors’ jawbone and with it he caught a huge piece of land called ‘Te Ika a Māui’ (Māui’s fish), which is the North Island. The canoe that he fished from is ‘Te Waka a Māui’ (Māui’s canoe) or the South Island.
The South Island has all the topography that the United States has (maybe except for desert), all compressed into smaller distances. Words don’t do it justice. Neither do pictures, but here is an attempt:
Wonderful pictures, interesting narrative.
Stunning