Terraces and Pit (Bay of Plenty) Traditional Cache

This cache is a small plastic click-clack container about 120mm x 90mm x 40mm. Inside a black plastic bag. It is hidden near the descriptive signage, up the spur, on the summit, about ten minutes walk from Kawerau South School, carpark.

This ridge was first surveyed by local historian Ken Moore in December 1964. The site includes six possible terraces and a kumara pit or rua. His notes suggest that this may have been a habitation site for a family some 300 to 400 years ago. Over time this site has eroded and the pit is now hard to see, but if you look closely you can still make out some of the terraces. Local Maori once had large kumara gardens. To store the kumara safely over the winter, they built storage pits or rua – often on dry ridges like this. This area is one of two known kumara storage areas in Monika Lanham Reserve The site is a designated as Archaeological location V16/38, based on Moore’s sketch plan