Man who mapped Northland in focus during New Zealand Archaeology Week

Hartley Travers Ferrar, who undertook geological, mapping and soil surveys in Northland from 1019, will be the subject of a talk in Kerikeri next month to mark New Zealand Archaeology Week

A talk focusing on a man who undertook geological, mapping and soil surveys in Northland in the early 1900s will be the main event to mark New Zealand Archaeology Week in the region next month.

From April 27 to May 5 New Zealand’s national celebration of archaeology, heritage and the past is back with a fantastic line up of events happening around the country. Co-ordinated by the New Zealand Archaeological Association, events include talks, both online and in person, heritage walks, workshops, special exhibitions and community days. There is even a baking competition that is open to everyone.

The aim of Archaeology Week is to increase public awareness of archaeology in New Zealand by highlighting the many and varied activities carried out by archaeologists working here and abroad. Ultimately, the NZAA wants to bring archaeology to the public and to tell our country’s story. Promoting our archaeological heritage increases public recognition, leading to greater appreciation and protection of this fragile record of the country’s past.

In Northland, a talk on the Legacy of Hartley Travers Ferrar, by Dr James Robinson, will be held at Kingston House, Hone Heke Rd, Kerikeri, from 2pm on May 5. The hour-long talk, organised by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, will look at the legacy of Ferrar, a geologist and map-maker, whose work in Northland in the 1920s continues to inform archaeologists today.

Ferrar joined the New Zealand Geological Survey in 1919, undertaking geological and soil surveys in Northland.

Prior to his work in Northland, and soon after graduating from Cambridge University, Ferrar was appointed geologist with Robert Falcon Scott’s first discovery expedition of the Antarctica in 1901-1904 and also helped shape emerging understanding of the Continental Drift in the early 1900s.

Information on what is happening in your area can be found on the NZAA’s website – www.nzarchaeology.org and you can follow all the action on social media, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter or use the #nzarchweek2024.

New Zealand has a short but dynamic history of settlement, characterised by rapid environmental and cultural change. Archaeological sites in New Zealand relate the story of the first settlers from Eastern Polynesia around 1300 AD, the development of a unique New Zealand Māori culture within a few generations, and the 19th century settlement by European, Chinese and other immigrants. These sites inform us of New Zealand’s domestic, maritime, military, industrial and farming history.