New Zealand Journal of Archaeology Index  >  Vol 26 Jones

 

NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY ISSN 0110~540X ABSTRACT

 

 

Pā, Forest and Fire

on the Western Approaches to the

Urewera Ranges, New Zealand

 

Kevin L. Jones1

 

ABSTRACT

During the late pre-European period, the area from the Whirinaki River valley west

to the Rangitāiki River, on the western margin of the Urewera ranges, was an island

of modified forest and sustainable settlement. The area has long been a key approach

to the central ranges. Late in the pre-European sequence, settlement based on pā

and kāinga was on small areas of dissected terrace lands in the central, open part of

the valley. These areas had a relatively benign climate and lowland podocarp forest

nearby. An incremental process of forest burning and partial regeneration gave

seasonal access to fruits of forest trees such as tawa or hīnau and abundant flocking

birds, in a shrubland and tawa/kāmahi forest landscape pattern which still prevails

today. The presence of storage pits suggests kūmara horticulture was possible. The

Whirinaki pattern demonstrates the actual ecological setting, now rare, of the many

sites for which the pollen record indicates sustained burning in the course of human

settlement. In the nineteenth century, settlements extended over a much wider area

into the south of the Whirinaki River basin.

 

Keywords: NGĀTI WHARE, TE WHĀITI, AHIKERERU, WHIRINAKI RIVER,

SETTLEMENT PATTERN, FOREST SUCCESSION.

 

1 Research, Development and Improvement Division, Department of Conservation, PO

Box 10 420, WELLINGTON. kljones@doc.govt.nz

 

Ó Copyright New Zealand Archaeological Association.

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