Hooked

Let's face it, everyone who comes back from New Zealand has something like this. It's a Maori carved fish hook, protects the wearer when travelling over water, and usually comes carved out of some sort of bone or greenstone. There are other shapes, but I like the hooks.

And so it was that 9 years ago, passing though a village, we doubled back to an interesting looking 'gallery'. Turns out the whale bone that was being carved was somewhat special, given it was older than Christ. The skeleton of a whale had been found in the mountains (so clearly form a time when the land was under water, the whale not having flown there, obviously) and was carbon dated back 3,000 years. The carver was granted a certain amount of the skeleton with which to ply his trade.

I couldn't resist after a tale like that.

Cord snapped on it today, so that'll need to be replaced - feels wrong not wearing it.