“With the studio, we aim to provide an opportunity for people to come in and make your own,” Marsters said.
As far as the couple are aware, it is a new offering in terms of Hawke’s Bay stores, and a similar model to the Bonz n Stonz studio in Hokitika.
Customers can also buy pounamu goods and carvings made by Marsters, Rakete-Stones and Rakete-Stones’ dad, Pouri Rakete-Stones.
The couple have been selling pounamu carvings at weekend markets for about two years, and felt there was enough demand to open a shop.
“It is quite rewarding being able to pass that taonga [treasure] down to someone else, being part of that story,” Marsters said, of his love for pounamu carving, which he started as a hobby two years ago.
“So being able to do this full-time was the next step.
“Within a month of deciding, we found the shop, we got the lease, we just kind of crammed it into one month – it was quick but exciting and all fell into place.”
Raising awareness about the cultural significance of pounamu stone is also a goal of the store, and adding “a splash of culture in the middle of town“.
Rakete-Stones’ father, Pouri, who lives in Greymouth, gave the couple the idea of starting the shop and also helps source pounamu stone, which comes from the West Coast.
Rakete-Stones said the store’s location in the heart of Napier was ideal. It was formerly occupied by clothing shop Jacqui E.
Pounamu stone is protected by South Island iwi Ngāi Tahu and has cultural significance for Māori.
“There is purākau [legend] around it – there was a taniwha, Poutini, that went up to the Bay of Plenty and saw a woman that he thought was beautiful and stole her from her husband and ran away with her, and her husband chased him,” Rakete-Stones said.
“He went back to the Arahura River and wanted to protect her and turned her into pounamu.
“It’s the whakapapa significance of it for Maori.”
She said pounamu carvings are traditionally passed down, gifted or made specifically for someone.
Rakete-Stones is a teacher at Omahu School and Marsters previously worked as a teacher aide, but the pair are both going full-time with the shop.
Nancy Rakete-Stones is the sister of Magpie and Hurricanes prop Pouri Rakete-Stones.
Bookings for a two-hour session to carve your own pounamu can be made through the Pou Creations website and cost $300 per person.