Volunteers and archaeologists at work at the dig site on Moturua Island last January.
Guided tour of a working archaeological dig in Mangahawea Bay
Visitors to the Bay of Islands can take a guided tour of a working archaeological dig at Mangahawea Bay on Moturua Island on January 17, from 9am to 12 noon. The excavation is a joint initiative between the Arakite Trust,
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, Department of Conservation and University of Otago. The area contains a very early, well preserved human settlement site. A stratified site was also excavated with its lower levels containing limpets, moa and seal bone, indicating human history. People will need to be able to travel independently to and from Mangahawea Bay on January 17 where a guide will take them on a tour of the site. Visitors need to bring hats, food, water and sunscreen.
Crews attend fires
Mid- and Far North fire services were kept busy yesterday afternoon with two fires, one which appliances from four brigades attended and one which the Kawakawa brigade managed to extinguish in scrub behind Bay of Islands Hospital. The first fire at a rural property in Rusk Rd, Hukerenui, destroyed a garden shed full of firewood and a nearby tree. Because it was a structure fire, appliances from Towai, Kawakawa, Kamo and Hikurangi were called in or on standby. The scrub fire behind the hospital in Greenacres Dr was burning across about 200 square metres and close to one house and some hospital buildings before a Kawakawa fire crew brought it under control.
Police praise holiday driving
