Te Koha Gallery
Te Koha Gallery
4.5
8:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
8:30 AM - 7:00 PM
About
Set in our home our studio offers a friendly environment to carve a traditional or contemporary piece of New Zealand Stone - Nephrite Jade, Tangi Wai, Aotea, Rhodonite. Open 7 days a week at our home based studio. People of all ages and nationalities have had the chance to carve their own piece of our culture either as a gift or for themselves. This activity generally takes 1-2 hours depending on what we are carving. No artistic ability is required and people have really surprised themselves with what they have achieved. Its all about putting your energy into our special stones by making it yourself. A very unique souvenir unlike any other either for yourself or as a special gift.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingWhat is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience nearby attractions
Are you currently on your trip?
Help us find experiences available for you.
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
11 within 5 kms
Attractions
15 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
128 reviews
Excellent
106
Very good
12
Average
2
Poor
2
Terrible
6
Caroline Q
New York City, NY261 contributions
Nov 2024 • Solo
Pounamu carving with Jan turned out to be one of the highlights of my South Island tour and I would recommend it to anyone, particularly if like me you are unlucky with the weather and so need a wet weather activity around Franz Josef! Jan is really friendly and explains the cultural significance of pounamu as well as showing you how to shape and polish your chosen stone, which is a surprisingly relaxing and therapeutic experience! I got lucky in that my chosen stone turned out to be a piece of aotea bluestone and Jan was so kind to rescue the tiny piece of blue quartz that broke off along a fault line in the stone when it came time to drill a hole to thread the cord through. You will come away with a beautiful souvenir that you can gift or treasure to remind you of your time on the West Coast.
Written 24 November 2024
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.
Patti J
Portland, OR116 contributions
Apr 2024 • Couples
Working in the workshop in Jan’s home was one of the highlights of our trip. Jan picked us up at the Rainforest Retreat and we joined a smaller group (7) in our stone grinding/shaping experience. My partner and I each carved jade pieces for necklaces. I now want a grinder. Jan’s husband, Mark, drove us back to town and told us all about the area. He was a much fun as the carving experience. The vibe is relaxed, so be prepared to chill and work with your stone.
Written 8 April 2024
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.
curly0258
Ripley, UK88 contributions
Dec 2024 • Couples
A really enjoyable few hours. The host Jan, is very knowledgeable and helpful. She’s also got a great sense of humour.
Pick your own piece of jade and under the watchful gaze of Jan make something to take home . I didn’t think it was ‘my bag’, my wife was keen to go. However, I enjoyed it.
Pick your own piece of jade and under the watchful gaze of Jan make something to take home . I didn’t think it was ‘my bag’, my wife was keen to go. However, I enjoyed it.
Written 13 December 2024
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.
Scenic727995
1 contribution
Jul 2024 • Family
AVOID!!! We booked to come and do the stone carving workshop. We called Jan in the morning to confirm we were coming. When we arrived, the welcome we got from her was extremely unprofessional. We were criticised for arriving 10mins early and then promptly quizzed as to the age of my son and where we were from, to be told that children under 16 are not allowed to use the machinery.
There was already a group of people doing the workshop who all looked pretty bored and she had clearly over booked herself and was trying to put us off. We explained that the website did not mention age limits which she agreed with but did not seem bothered at all that it meant we couldn’t do the workshop.
Very disappointed and never come across such unprofessional and disgusting customer service.
There was already a group of people doing the workshop who all looked pretty bored and she had clearly over booked herself and was trying to put us off. We explained that the website did not mention age limits which she agreed with but did not seem bothered at all that it meant we couldn’t do the workshop.
Very disappointed and never come across such unprofessional and disgusting customer service.
Written 19 July 2024
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.
Steven P
Cairns, Australia86 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
We planned to be in Franz Josef for a few days to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. And what better way to celebrate this special day, than by make a beautiful and spiritual piece of Jade jewellery for one another.
We were lucky, on the day we visited the gallery, we were the only 2 booked in for our 1hr Jade making experience.
It was so intimate, we got to talk to the host in so much detail, connecting on a spiritual level given I am an Indigenous Australian, and the host had cultural connections to the land on which she operated - along with Jade being such an important part of Moiri culture.
We had an amazing time. The jewelry we crafted for each other is very special. We wore our pieces we created for a few days, this is so our spirit is attached to the Jade. A few days later we gifted our Jade to each other. It's a very amazing experience, because you have the elders spirits embedded in the rock from the Moiri culture, along with our spirit now attached.
Potentially, given I'm Indigenous, I can sense certain things others may not, but we have been travelling around NZ in sub zero temperatures (in some parts), and yet the Jade I wear (that my wife created), always remains warm. To touch it, or hold it in my hand, it is always warm.
Absolutely amazing. Highly recommend.
We were lucky, on the day we visited the gallery, we were the only 2 booked in for our 1hr Jade making experience.
It was so intimate, we got to talk to the host in so much detail, connecting on a spiritual level given I am an Indigenous Australian, and the host had cultural connections to the land on which she operated - along with Jade being such an important part of Moiri culture.
We had an amazing time. The jewelry we crafted for each other is very special. We wore our pieces we created for a few days, this is so our spirit is attached to the Jade. A few days later we gifted our Jade to each other. It's a very amazing experience, because you have the elders spirits embedded in the rock from the Moiri culture, along with our spirit now attached.
Potentially, given I'm Indigenous, I can sense certain things others may not, but we have been travelling around NZ in sub zero temperatures (in some parts), and yet the Jade I wear (that my wife created), always remains warm. To touch it, or hold it in my hand, it is always warm.
Absolutely amazing. Highly recommend.
Written 27 August 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.
Sue F
13 contributions
Mar 2023
We saw this place advertised when looking for things to do whilst in Franz Josef. It was an amazing workshop experience and you really do not need to have done anything like it before. Jan and Mike, the hosts were so welcoming (to their workshop next to their farmhouse home) and made us feel at our ease straight away.
We both came away with our own uniquely crafted pieces of jade that we were so proud of, having selected our raw pieces of stone from a huge bench covered with all differently coloured and shaped ‘raw’ stones.
Thank you Jan and Mike for a great time and we would highly recommend this to anyone.
We both came away with our own uniquely crafted pieces of jade that we were so proud of, having selected our raw pieces of stone from a huge bench covered with all differently coloured and shaped ‘raw’ stones.
Thank you Jan and Mike for a great time and we would highly recommend this to anyone.
Written 8 March 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.
littlecoldkiwi
51 contributions
Jan 2023 • Couples
Wow. I’m so pleased I found this fantastic little stop, a one of a kind unique experience and I loved it. Hugely worth the money and the owner is a really wonderful person. It’s a chance to select your own piece of stone and craft it into something truly personal and unique that you will treasure for ever.
Written 10 January 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.
Bec
Birmingham, UK543 contributions
Jun 2022 • Couples
I booked a jade carving session for me and my parents and we had such a great time! It was a really relaxed session as we were taught how to carve, engrave and polish our pieces. She has some excellent pieces of jade to choose from.
We were each asked what we wanted to make and were each taken through the process having help when needed. Thank you!!
We were each asked what we wanted to make and were each taken through the process having help when needed. Thank you!!
Written 4 July 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.
Mandy
1 contribution
Apr 2021 • Family
Jan is an amazing and very patient teacher!!! I brought my two girls aged 8 and 14 and we all did our own carving. She gave us lots of encouragement and support. The girls could do every part of the process and it was a unique, very enjoyable and memorable experience. Jan is open, easy to talk to and the two hours just flew by! Thank you!!!!
Written 30 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.
NZFamilyO
Auckland Central, New Zealand34 contributions
Feb 2023 • Couples
Really enjoyable time making my own special piece of pounamu. It felt uniquely Kiwi and West Coast - in a beautiful spot just out of Franz Josef. Jane was a great host, sharing stories of the area freely.
Written 4 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.
For making your own jade carving, do you need to make a reservation ahead of time or is it on a drop-in, first-come-first-serve basis? Would we ever need to worry about a wait?
Written 26 December 2018
Hi. It is advisable over the summer to make a reservation. Thank you.
Written 27 December 2018
Kristin W
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
What is the cost to carve your own jewelry?
Written 29 December 2015
They were open normal hours is about all I can tell you. It's located in the main street. Their website which is easily found via Google didn't help.
Written 7 July 2015
Showing results 1-3 of 3
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing