This painting of a fortified pā around 1845 shows a potato field (top right). Potatoes began to be grown on a commercial scale soon after they were introduced, particularly in the far north, to supply whalers. Potatoes and pigs were such important trade items they served as a currency for a number of years in New Zealand.
Using this item
Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference:
A-079-031
Watercolour by Cyprian Bridge
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
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