Remains of prehistoric settlement unearthed
New Zealand Historic Places Trust Information release
16 November 2007
The archaeological remains of what is likely to have been
one of the oldest settlements in New Zealand are being unearthed in an
excavation in Cook's Cove north of Gisborne.
A team of archaeologists from the New Zealand Historic Places Trust and
Otago University have found the remnants of a small village in the cove,
which they believe could have been established by Maori as early as the
14th Century.
"This is a really exciting development. Given what we know about
the history of the area, we were expecting to come across some significant
archaeology - this shows we were definitely on the right track,"
says the Co-Director of the excavation, Professor Richard Walter of Otago
University.
"So far we've found earth ovens, midden (prehistoric food remains),
early styles of fishhooks, stone tools, and now post holes which were
associated with a house or whare. The presence of the house is significant
because so few are known from this early period of New Zealand's history."
The next stage of the excavation will involve careful investigation of
the 'village layer' of deposits to ensure that nothing is missed or damaged,
and that as much information as possible is collected for further analysis.
"We're just below the top of this layer now, and we'll continue
to work through it with great care," says Professor Walter.
"In some ways, though, the real work will start after the material
samples are taken back to the laboratories at Otago University and analysed.
For every one day in the field, there are often about three days spent
in the lab."
The excavation involves three partner agencies - the Historic Places
Trust, Otago University and local iwi Te Aitanga a Hauiti.
Discovery of significant archaeological material so early on in the excavation,
which is due to finish at the end of next week, is perfect timing according
to the New Zealand Historic Places Trust's Senior Archaeologist, Dr Rick
McGovern-Wilson, who is co-directing the excavation with Professor Walter
and archaeologist Chris Jacomb.
"It gives us sufficient time to investigate this layer thoroughly
along with the wider site," he says.
"It's going to be very interesting to see what else comes to light."
Daily updates of the excavation are being posted on the Historic Places
Trust's website (www.historic.org.nz) including brief video bulletins,
photos and reports on each day's findings.
"Providing daily updates online has been a first for us, though
it's really paid off. There's certainly a lot of public interest in what
we're doing," says Dr McGovern-Wilson.
"People are telling us how much they're enjoying following the progress
of the excavation day by day - they really feel a part of what's going
on, and learning a lot about New Zealand's unique archaeological heritage
in the process."
The site was selected for excavation due to the ongoing problem of sea
erosion washing away parts of the coastline just metres from where the
excavation is taking place, at times exposing prehistoric archaeological
material.
"We decided that a rescue excavation was needed to retrieve valuable
information before the site is completely destroyed. And, by the looks
of things, that may not be far off," says Dr McGovern Wilson.
Both the landowner, Hauiti Incorporation, and local iwi Te Aitanga a
Hauiti are supporting the excavations and an authority to undertake the
investigations has been granted by the Historic Places Trust, in accordance
with the requirements of the Historic Places Act 1993.
The excavation in Cook's Cove is funded by the New Zealand Historic Places
Trust, the University of Otago and the Historic Places Trust's Gisborne-Tairawhiti
Branch Committee.
Follow the
Cook's Cove excavation - log on to www.historic.org.nz and follow
the links.
For more information:Primary contact: Associate Professor Richard
Walter, Otago University, 021 473 880
Alternative contacts: Dr Rick McGovern-Wilson,
NZ Historic Places Trust, 021 250 1881
Anne McGuire, Te Aitanga a Hauiti, 027
240 4493 | 
