Somewhere in Ōwhiro Bay, Wellington, on the 22nd of June 2025, a person was doing what New Zealanders do best on a sunny winter’s day. Gardening. Unremarkably, peacefully, gloriously ordinary gardening. And then, the not ordinary arrived from te pō ki te ao mārama (from the darkness to the light). Human remains, right there inContinue reading “The 350-Year-Old Secret in a Wellington Garden: How Radiocarbon Dating Actually Works”
Category Archives: Archaeology
What was recently uncovered on Ahuahu Great Mercury Island?
There is a growing respect for the history of Aotearoa New Zealand with the uptake of a new history teaching curriculum and initiatives like Te Pūtake o te Riri (New Zealand War Commemorations). With the growing attention on the relatively short history of settlement in the country, you may be thinking that we know allContinue reading “What was recently uncovered on Ahuahu Great Mercury Island?”
When did people first arrive in Aotearoa, and how do we know that?
From dozens of generations of genealogies, to moa egg shells and ice cores, all the evidence points to a certain period in which Polynesian voyagers began settling in Aotearoa New Zealand.
What is the most common “archaeological site” in Aotearoa, and why are they valued?
Archaeological features in Aotearoa New Zealand are often overlooked as unimportant or uninteresting. Let’s take a stab at that assumption by exploring the amazingness of the most common archaeological feature/site recorded in in this country!
7 ways to engage with archaeology
You want to marinade in what archaeology might have to offer, but you aren’t quite sure how to engage with it, right? Here is a comprehensive list of the ways that you can get involved with archaeology or become one!
Archaeology: More than digging
Being lumped in with Jurassic Park is only marginally better than being compared with the infamous archaeologist in name only, Indiana Jones. At least Time Team gives you an idea of what archaeology is actually about.