Hei Matau Sculpture Kawakawa Pounamu

A hei matau, the fish hook. The form is an old one, tied to safe passage over water and to providing for people.

The stone made this piece. Deep green with a soft cloud through it, and where it thins the light comes through. Lee-Roy Mullings (Ngāti Kahungunu) carved it at his bench in Arrowtown. He has worked pounamu for forty years and the finish here is his signature: the negative space cut away first, the spiral shaped around what's left, then polished right back until the stone speaks for itself.

One of a kind. It won't be carved again. Sits on driftwood, on a stainless steel stand.