The Pounamu comes from the headwaters of the Dart River that meets the Clutha River and exits to the Pacific Ocean at the southern edge of the region of Otago. The white stone base is from the limestone country through which the Waitaki River flows, Otago’s northern boundary. The basalt column on which the Pounamu boulder sits is from Blackhead, a volcanic outcrop on the coast very near to the city of Dunedin.