Ancient skeleton blessed and laid to rest again

A skeleton found at Paradise Bay at the weekend was pre-European and several hundred years old.

The skeleton found at an isolated Far North beach at the weekend has been identified as that of a woman who died several hundred years ago.

The bones were found about 9am on Saturday in eroding sand at Motukahakaha, also known as Paradise Bay, between Taupo Bay and Waimahana Bay, south of Mangonui.

Police carried out a scene examination that morning, secured the area to make sure the bones were not disturbed, and notified local iwi and Heritage New Zealand.

Police returned to the scene on Sunday, accompanied by Doubtless Bay kaumatua Dave Henare and Heritage New Zealand archaeologist James Robinson.

Once Mr Henare had performed a blessing, the bones were carefully examined and uplifted.

A police spokesman said the initial determination was that the remains came from a pre-Christian burial and were likely to be several hundred years old.

The skeleton, which was still complete, appeared to be that of an adult female who had died of natural causes.

Mr Henare said there had been similar discoveries in the area before.

The remains have been laid to rest in Patau Urupa at nearby Waimahana Bay.

Pre-European bones are frequently uncovered by erosion on Northland beaches.