A tale about a midden found at a major road upgrade milestones for North Shore April 24, 2007
The first phase of North Shore City Council’s Lake Rd upgrade was due to begin one weekend, as another major road project – the Esmonde Rd upgrade – nears completion. The first phase of the project involves work on the Lake Rd/Esmonde Rd intersection, including widening the southern corner to allow two left-turn lanes into Esmonde Rd. “We will begin by removing some trees and other vegetation and shifting fences on the council-owned property on the corner,” North Shore City’s corridor projects manager, Graham Nell, says. “Contractors will then widen the corner of Lake Rd, creating space for two left-turn lanes into Esmonde Rd. The intersection will also include a dedicated bus lane and a cycle lane. “The remaining land will eventually become a ‘pocket park’, including some transplanted existing trees".
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HISTORY UNCOVERED:------- While an archaeologist investigates the midden, work on the intersection of Lake and Esmonde roads has been suspended. Now council officers have found a large midden beneath the 13-metre pohutukawa Mrs Becroft fought to save.
A midden is a site where food remains - often shells, bones and charcoal from fires - have been thrown or buried. The new find is believed to date from pre-European settlement. Council corridor project team manager Graham Nell says they knew a midden was at the site but once the pohutukawa was lifted they realised it was much more significant.
They were obliged to notify the Historic Places Trust. Mr Nell expects the road widening will be delayed by about three months while they investigate. He says it is unlikely to stop the $1.4 million project altogether.
Northcote's Awataha Marae spokesman Anthony Wilson says council never consulted them about the Esmonde Rd work. "It's always been known that there is a urupa (burial site) in the area, and although the exact location isn't known, it falls on two sides of the Esmonde Rd interchange. "The council has to take note that many different tribes have occupied the area at different stages and if there are human remains we need to establish protocol about how to best manage the process," says Mr Wilson.
Mr Nell says works to widen Lake Rd at the corner of Esmonde Rd are designed to make the intersection more efficient. When complete the intersection will have two lanes of left-turning traffic from Lake to Esmonde Rd, cycle lanes on either side of Lake Rd and a bus advance lane heading north to Takapuna. Mr Nell says they can continue with minor works such as laying stormwater pipes but the midden is in the middle of the construction zone.
The midden was discovered in July when a pohutukawa tree was removed from the Esmonde Rd-Lake Rd construction site in Takapuna halting the upgrade. The archaeologist's report, conducted on behalf of North Shore City Council, found the midden dated to the 19th century, and contained oyster, cockle, mussel and paua shells as well as glass, ceramics and iron. "The absence of charcoal, ash and rocks indicates that whoever deposited the shell was not using traditional Maori cooking methods," the report said.
Midden sites may date back to pre-European settlement and can provide evidence of the lifestyle and diet of local Maori, or early European settlers. North Shore City Council's group manager projects, maintenance and operations, Wally Potts, said the Historic Places Trust had now given council contractors approval to proceed with the upgrade. "It was important for us to go through the correct procedures to have the site investigated," he said. "Now these procedures have been followed, we can get back to work."
So now, if you were wondering why this project took so long, you know!
Cache is tiny, attached to magnet, logbook only.