In 1988 an archaeologist found whale bone at the bottom of this midden on Waiōtahe River, just east of Ōhiwa Harbour. This appeared to date from about 500 years earlier. The majority of the other shells were pipi, which people still collect from the estuary. This suggests a continuous use of the shellfish for half a millennium.
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Heritage New Zealand – Pouhere Taonga
Photograph by Rick McGovern-Wilson
Permission of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
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