3rd February 2010

Dear Rick

This is an application for a section 18 authority for archaeological sites QO5 682 and
QO5 71.

Background

This application for a section 18 is being driven by cultural concerns over the erosion
of koiwi out of a recorded midden site on Moturua Island (Figure 1).

Figure 1 Moturua Island Location Map

The site in questions is QO5 682 (midden) and is located in Mangahawea Bay on the
North Western end of Moturua, QO5 682 is in the southern end of Mangahawea Bay
(Figure 2). The koiwi were discovered by Andrew Blanshard (Historic Ranger Bay of
Islands Area Office of the Department of Conservation) on January 28th whilst doing
a regular monitoring trip to the site. Ngati Kuta and Patukeha were alerted to their
discovery on January 29th and a hui was held at Haratu Marae in Russell on
February 2nd in order to discuss the best way to proceed. It was decided at this hui
that a excavation should take place in order to secure these remains. A location near
to QO5 71 (pits) was chosen as the re-interment location based on traditional history
that these are the locations of European burials probably relating to Marion Du

Bay of Islands Area

Area Office, P.O. Box 128, 34 Landing Road, Kerikeri, New Zealand
Telephone 09-407 0300, Fax 09-407 7938
Fresne’s visit to the Bay of Islands in 1772. Because of cultural concerns this
excavation and re-interment needs to be carried out as soon as possible.

Figure 2 Moturua Island showing location of QO5 682 and QO5 71

Archaeological background

QO5 682 has been previously excavated by McKay in 1981. Unfortunately this
excavation was never formally written up, however there are several photos and field
note books from the excavation which allow us to roughly locate where the trenches
were placed (Figure 3 and 4). What we do know from these note books is that both
moa and seal bone were recovered and a carbon date sample from oyster shell
returned a date of 1260 – 1390 (65% probability) 1220 – 1420 (95% probability).

Bay of Islands Area

Area Office, P.O. Box 128, 34 Landing Road, Kerikeri, New Zealand
Telephone 09-407 0300, Fax 09-407 7938
 Figure 3 showing 1981 excavation trenches

Figure 4 showing 1981 excavation trenches

Since the excavation in 1981 (Figures 3 and 4) there has been a large amount of
erosion of the dune area. This has been caused both by wave action and by the
small creek that runs next to the site, which during heavy rain events can and does
scour out the bank on which QO5 682 rests. See Figure 5 below for how the area
looks now.

Bay of Islands Area

Area Office, P.O. Box 128, 34 Landing Road, Kerikeri, New Zealand
Telephone 09-407 0300, Fax 09-407 7938
 Figure 5 showing estimated midden extent and approximate location of koiwi
From recent studies including probing out of the midden and limited geophysical
survey (Figure 6) of the beach flat directly behind the midden it is clear that 90% of
the midden has eroded. From visual inspection most of what remains is a scattered
cockle and pip shell midden with fire cracked rock scattered through it.

Figure 6 geophyiscal survey results

Bay of Islands Area
Area Office, P.O. Box 128, 34 Landing Road, Kerikeri, New Zealand
Telephone 09-407 0300, Fax 09-407 7938
The archaeological background of QO5 71 is less well understood than that of QO5
682. It was recorded in the late 1970s by Leahy and Walsh and was revisited by
Sally Burgess and Sally Maingay in 2004. The site record form includes both the pits
on the back beach as well as features terraces on the hill slope to there south.

These pits are located on the southern end of Waiiti Bay on the southern side of a
small unnamed creek (Figure 6).

Figure 7 Location of QO5 71

Waiiti and Waipou was one of the locations that Marion Du Fresne settled men in
1772. When de Fresne arrived in the bay his crew was suffering from both smallpox
and scurvy. He used Maori whare in Waiiti and Waipou bay as a hospital as well as
setting up a forge and other buildings in order to repair his ships. Although there are
no records of burials being made within the bays, kaumatua from Ngati Kuta and
Patukeha confirm that within traditional history this is the site of French burials.
There are five pits, three of which are approximately 2 metres long by just under a
metre wide and run in a east west orientation (Figure 7).

We have conducted limited geophysical survey in this area, but due to dense
vegetation we were only able to conduct a ‘spaghetti’ survey of the pit areas. The
results of this were probable magnetic signatures in two of the five pits and that the
depth of this metal was approximately 800mm deep.

Bay of Islands Area

Area Office, P.O. Box 128, 34 Landing Road, Kerikeri, New Zealand
Telephone 09-407 0300, Fax 09-407 7938
 Figure 8 QO5 71 pits.

Proposed Investigation

This investigation is being led by cultural concerns over eroding koiwi as well as
making the location of their re-interment culturally safe. In order to achieve this it is
important that all bones are removed from site QO5 682 and that the site type of
QO5 71 is formally identified, so that in the future this can become the urupa for the
any other koiwi uncovered or discovered.

Bay of Islands Area

Area Office, P.O. Box 128, 34 Landing Road, Kerikeri, New Zealand
Telephone 09-407 0300, Fax 09-407 7938
Methodology

We will first establish local grids for both bays. This will be done with a combination
of differential gps (accuracy better than 1 metre) and a total station.

For site QO5 682 we will open a small trench around the area of exposed bones, this
will probably measure 1m X 1m. Hopefully this will fully encompass the bones,
however if we need to extend this area we will.

Because of cultural concerns regarding the removal of material from within a burial
we will not be removing any material from site. However we will fully document with
photography, and there will be an osteoarchaeologist on site. We will also make all
efforts to analysis the samples that were taken during the 1980s investigation as well
as writing up the field note books.

For site QO5 71 we will clear vegetation to allow a small area to be properly
geophysed. This area will include the five recorded pits as well as an area directly
behind them which has no above ground features - total area probably around 20m
X 20m. The area adjacent to the pits is the area highlighted by tangata whenua as
the re-interment site. After completing the geophysical survey we will put small
trenches into a maximum of two of the pits concentrating on the pits which have
previously returned a magnetic signature, this will hopefully clarify what these
features are. We will also probably ground test any anomalies found in the area
adjacent to the pits so as to insure that this re-interment as well as any that happen
in the future does not impact the pit site.

Bay of Islands Area

Area Office, P.O. Box 128, 34 Landing Road, Kerikeri, New Zealand
Telephone 09-407 0300, Fax 09-407 7938