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From issue: Autumn 2003

Gold in the Hills of Papamoa

by Paul Titus

Papamoa in the western Bay of Plenty demonstrates the dark side and the bright side of how archaeological resources are treated.

Pre-European, the densely populated Papamoa district was made up of two zones, a dune plain on the coast and the hills immediately behind it divided by a resource-rich wetland area. For Maori, the two zones were part of an environmental continuum that consisted of fortified pa sites on the high ground and undefended settlements and seasonal food gathering sites below. The Papamoa area is of particular significance to the Tauranga Moana and Arawa tribes, whose ancestors from the Te Arawa and Takitimu waka settled the area.

Over the past 20 years, Papamoa has been deluged by a massive wave of construction. Historic Places Trust regional archaeologist, Dr Rachel Darmody says sand mining and the development of subdivisions, roads and commercial centres have devastated most of the archaeological sites in the dunes area.

Once the coastal zone was built up, heritage advocates became concerned that developers would turn their attention to the Papamoa hills. They were galvanised into action by the McNaughton family's plans to sell farmland in the hills that it had opened since the 1890s. Extensive pa sites on the McNaughton property were well preserved because it was predominantly used for grazing.

The Bay of Plenty branch committee of the Historic Places Trust identified the importance of the Papamoa Hills and drew it to the attention of the Tauranga District Council and the Western Bay of Plenty District Council. The branch committee also commissioned an archaeologist to survey the area, and later worked with Waikato University to run workshops to explain its significance to the community.

Last October, the two district councils and Environment bay of Plenty announced the purchase of 97.5 hectares in the Papamoa Hills for $1.4 million to develop a cultural heritage park.

Darmody says the Papamoa Hills have extrordinary cultural, scientific, and historical significance. "its 10 pa sites have panoramic views of the Bay of Plemty and vary in size from the very large Wharo Pa at seven hectares to a small pa of a few hundred square metres. The scale of some of the earthworks is such that a large number of people must have been involved in their construction."

"What's also interesting is the range of different activities that went on in the area. It has terraces for cultivation or living areas, pits for storage and ditch and bank defences. Radiocarbon dating suggests that construction of some of the pa began around 1500AD, making them amongst the oldest in New Zealand."

Paul Titus is a Christchurch-based writer.