Nature is slowly but surely getting the upper hand at Ngawi on the Palliser Coast as tides chip away at an ancient Maori midden.
The midden, or refuse heap, is gradually being washed into the sea having stood the test of time for centuries before suspected changes to sea conditions along
the coast first exposed it and then began to erode it.
Independent archaeologist Christine Barnett, who originally recorded the midden after locals reported finding it, said it was right on the shoreline in the virtual centre of Ngawi and relatively close to another midden at Black Rock.
The ancient inhabitants of the area would have harvested the sea's bounty, augmenting their catch with crops grown nearby. The remains of horticultural plots have been discovered in the vicinity.
Ms Barnett said it is likely the midden contains limpets, top shells, paua, the skeletal remains of crayfish and wrasse and the bones of a variety of seabirds and mammals.
The midden has been described as being particularly long and deep and although some attempts were made not long after it was first exposed to preserve it, the sea has so far proved too powerful.
Ms Barnett said there is some good to come from it as it allows archaeologists to at least study the rates of coastal erosion.
Ninawa Munro, who chairs the South Wairarapa Maori standing committee, said her committee has discussed the midden and had invited New Zealand Historic Places Trust to inspect it.
It is thought the trust may write a report on the midden for future reference and research.
At one time there had been proposals mooted to try and protect the midden by a boulder escarpment but this was thought to be of doubtful gain.
Fishermen and others using the beachfront had been asked not to park vehicles right up to the sea edge, as a means of mitigating erosion of the midden.
According to the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, ancient Maori usually ate fresh seafood cooked, by laying the flesh on heated rocks.
Shellfish was often eaten raw.
Contrary to popular belief, shellfish and crustaceans, including crayfish, were not foods eagerly sought by European settlers, and for many years remained the domain of Maori.