Garth Wilson Jade
Garth Wilson Jade
5
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
On the road to Shantytown, just 600 metres from the main road, you will find Garth Wilson's Jade studio and gallery. With a large parking and turning area you can come in and see Garth carving New Zealand pounamu (jade). Garth is a descendant of the Ngati Mahaki and Ngati Waewae tribes who were the original pounamu traders in New Zealand. This allows Garth and his family customary rights to go onto West Coast mountain sides and rivers to collect the pounamu (jade) themselves. Garth hand draws the designs and carves all sculptures, pendants and jewellery from New Zealand stone. Come in and handle some of the best New Zealand pounamu, find out about Garth's family history with the Pounamu, see some of our artefacts and discover the meanings and stories behind the Maori designs. Garth Wilson Jade - for that special piece!
Duration: < 1 hour
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5.0
135 reviews
Excellent
132
Very good
2
Average
1
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Philip B
8 contributions
Jul 2023
We never miss an opportunity to visit Garth and Jo at their studio just a few kilometers south of Greymouth. As we are currently hosting family visitors and showing them the sights and wonders of the South Island, there was no question about arranging a time to take our guests to meet them, and experience their love for pounamu, as well as their artistry in creating beautiful pieces of NZ jade that will become personal treasures and keepsakes. Every time we have stopped in, Jo and Garth have been happy to give generously of their time to explain the history of its use by Maori, the ways that they shape the stone, and the symbolism of the pieces they create. We always come away grateful for their friendly welcome and the knowledge that our guests have purchased authentic, high quality pounamu that has been carved in traditional and creative styles.
Written 25 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa S
Castle Rock, CO356 contributions
Feb 2023 • Couples
Beautiful jewelry and a great place to see how its made and learn all about NZ jade. Garth and his wife are so friendly and welcoming. A great place to stop, shop, learn and meet Garth and his wife. Highly recommending stopping here!
Written 26 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tracy Morton
1 contribution
Apr 2022
A must do. Garth and Jo provide a dedicated personal experience at their studio. Hear about the history and journey of the pounamu that your very piece was carved from, learn the deep meanings and traditions behind gifting pounamu to others. This is the perfect place to find a very special personal gift that you simply can’t get anywhere else! We visited in April, and since then we've contacted Jo and Garth on 3 separate occasions (from special birthdays through to major illness diagnosis) and they've been able to help us choose and personalise a very special gift of pounamu.
Written 13 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
huiashark
Rotorua, New Zealand17 contributions
Apr 2021 • Couples
We spent an hour and a half in the studio and could of spent longer. Knowledgeable and passionate about his craft, Garth took the time to explain and tell his story and we left with some awesome pieces
Written 10 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sheryl
3 contributions
Oct 2020
I purchased a beautiful Toki online as a gift for my Grandson. I am so happy with the piece. Thanks so much
Written 22 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kia Ora
You are most welcome. We are so glad that you are happy with your special Taonga.
Wishing you and your Grandson all the very best for the future.
Kind regards
Nga mihi
Garth and Jo
Written 26 October 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
FP101
Hokitika, New Zealand53 contributions
Feb 2019 • Family
Visiting Garth and Jo at the studio is a wonderful experience - you hear about the journey of the pieces, from how Garth and his family search the rivers for the raw stone, how he carries them back and works on them for months, first crudely then intricately to make the most beautiful pounamu we have ever seen. We commissioned a piece for a very special occasion and the result was so much better than we had hoped for, and learning how to wear it before gifting it so your mana is gifted too just made it so very personal. Thank you Garth and Jo, Arohanui (much love)
Written 22 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kia Ora
You are most welcome for the tour and I am so glad that you enjoyed hearing about my family history with the pounamu and how I create the pieces from the raw stone to the finished Taonga. I was honoured to be able to create a special Taonga for you to gift and I am so happy to hear that it turned out so much better than you had hoped for. You have made my day :-).
I wish you all the very best for a safe and healthy future.
Kindest regards
Nga mihi
Garth
Written 26 October 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Rod n Jac
Wagga Wagga, Australia127 contributions
Aug 2019 • Couples
Our experience with Garth Wilson Jade started long before we arrived with emails back and forward identifying pieces that Jac (my wife) may be interested in.
We also got a huge amount of travel tips for prior to arrival and after leaving. Pity is it started raining not long after we left and simply did not stop.
The whole experience with Garth & Jo was incredible. We learned so much about how Greenstone is sourced and the different meanings behind each piece.
How the stone is porous and ‘soaks in’ oils and mana from the wearer and the reasons for doing so was an incredibly powerful, emotional, & beautiful experience. Consequently I am now wearing the piece that will eventually be worn by Jac.
Garth even carved a ‘story’ on to the front of the piece that tells about us getting married and the joining of our two families.
Truly truly amazing.
If you are looking for that special piece of New Zealand Greenstone, Jade, Pounamu then you will not be disappointed by visiting Garth Wilson Jade.
There are many beautiful pieces to choose from and the prices are very reasonable for the work that has gone into each piece.
We can not speak highly enough of Garth & Jo. Genuine, authentic people and well worth a visit. A highlight of our trip that we will talk about forever.
Thank you for an amazing experience guys.
We also got a huge amount of travel tips for prior to arrival and after leaving. Pity is it started raining not long after we left and simply did not stop.
The whole experience with Garth & Jo was incredible. We learned so much about how Greenstone is sourced and the different meanings behind each piece.
How the stone is porous and ‘soaks in’ oils and mana from the wearer and the reasons for doing so was an incredibly powerful, emotional, & beautiful experience. Consequently I am now wearing the piece that will eventually be worn by Jac.
Garth even carved a ‘story’ on to the front of the piece that tells about us getting married and the joining of our two families.
Truly truly amazing.
If you are looking for that special piece of New Zealand Greenstone, Jade, Pounamu then you will not be disappointed by visiting Garth Wilson Jade.
There are many beautiful pieces to choose from and the prices are very reasonable for the work that has gone into each piece.
We can not speak highly enough of Garth & Jo. Genuine, authentic people and well worth a visit. A highlight of our trip that we will talk about forever.
Thank you for an amazing experience guys.
Written 20 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tena Koutou Rod and Jac
It was such a pleasure to meet you both and share with you our knowledge and family history with the pounamu. We are glad that you enjoyed your visit with us so much.
We are also really happy that you enjoyed our travel tips. It was our pleasure to help out any way we could :-)
Thank you for your kind words.
Garth and I hope you enjoy the rest of your time here in NZ on your honeymoon and we wish you all the very best of health and happiness in your future together as husband and wife.
Nga mihi
Garth and Jo
Written 25 August 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
oballon
2 contributions
May 2019 • Friends
We went to visit Garth's workplace in May, it was a meaningful experience: beautiful pieces of art and jewellery, and such a warmful and enthusiastic welcome from Garth, Jo and their son.
They even gave us advices on tracks to visit despite the bad weather, and it was really worth the shaky ride!
I also had advice on how to offer a pounamu pendant in the traditional way, thank you again!
Pour les Français, étape à ne pas manquer!
They even gave us advices on tracks to visit despite the bad weather, and it was really worth the shaky ride!
I also had advice on how to offer a pounamu pendant in the traditional way, thank you again!
Pour les Français, étape à ne pas manquer!
Written 3 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tena Koutou
You are most welcome :-). We are really happy to hear that you enjoyed your visit with and the advice that we gave.
It was a pleasure to meet you too and share our knowledge.
All the best for a wonderful happy and healthy future
Nga mihi
Garth, Jo and Hayden
Written 5 June 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
GCBB2013
5 contributions
Apr 2019 • Couples
It's difficult to put into words how meaningful our visit with Garth and Jo was. The fantastic Bernie Monk (see Paroa Hotel) sent us there and we're forever grateful. I wanted to buy a piece of jade jewelry to commemorate our trip to NZ, but this experience was so much more. Garth and his family collect all of their own jade stones in the rivers and valleys, as generations of his Maori ancestors have always done. He carves all of the pieces himself - except for the ones his children are carving as they're learning the family traditions. Jo creates the beautiful wrappings and is such an integral part of the experience. My hubby and i were each called to a certain piece, and Jo shared with us the meanings and traditions of the stones and their designs. Understanding the Maori value of the stone and the sharing of mana through these pieces brings tears to my eyes writing this. What a special, moving, experience meeting them was. We carry a piece of them with us on our journey...
Written 6 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tena Koutou to you both
Garth and I really enjoyed meeting you both and spending the time with you - showing you about the pounamu and teaching you about our history with our special Taonga/treasure. We are happy that you enjoyed your visit so much.
Yes, Bernie and the Paroa Hotel is fantastic. It is our favourite place to go and eat.
We would love to see you both again in the future if you ever come back to the Coast again.
We wish you all the very best for a wonderful future.
Kindest regards
Nga mihi
Garth and Jo
Written 7 April 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
SKSK
1 contribution
Apr 2019 • Couples
My husband and I had already purchased pounamu from Hokitika. We visited Wilson’s studio driven by curiosity and on our way out of the West Coast of NZ. Did we get surprised! Garth has a unique collection of authentic pounamu pieces all carved by him. We chose twin pendants - relationship Manaia. He took the time to share with us his family story, his knowledge about pounamu, and he followed all Maori protocols before handing us the two pendants. We got much more than two jewellery items. Garth gave us an authentic Maori art symbolising love, care, blessings and the sharing of mana. Garth Wilson, it was a privilege meeting you, may you and your family be blessed.
Warm regards, Simona and Kamen, Australia
Warm regards, Simona and Kamen, Australia
Written 5 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tena Koutou Simona and Kamen
It was a pleasure to meet you both and share with you my Whanau traditions and customs. I am honoured by your kind words - thank you very much. I am so happy to hear that you love the most special relationship Manaia pendants and hope that they continue to bring you much protection and good luck for the future.
Nga mihi
Garth
Written 26 October 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Claim your listingGARTH WILSON JADE: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Garth Wilson Jade
- Garth Wilson Jade is open:
- Mon - Fri 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- Hotels near Garth Wilson Jade:
- (0.70 km) Paroa Hotel
- (2.06 km) Goldfield Suites
- (6.88 km) Global Village Backpackers
- (6.25 km) The Alpine Rose Motel
- (6.52 km) Scenicland Motels
- Restaurants near Garth Wilson Jade:
- (0.68 km) Paroa Hotel Restaurant & Bar
- (8.65 km) The Lifeboat NZ
- (6.77 km) Buccleugh's on High
- (8.42 km) The Speight's Ale House
- (8.38 km) DP1 Cafe