History brought to life with a bang
North Head's rare disappearing gun will be fired to mark St Barbara's Day on Sunday 4 December in what is only its third firing since the early 1900s.
Minister of Conservation Chris Carter will fire the gun as one of a number of demonstrations, displays and activities open to the public at North Head Historic Reserve, Devonport on the day dedicated to St Barbara, the patron saint of artillery, mariners, tunnelers and prisoners.
The eight inch Armstrong disappearing gun is one of few remaining in the world and was mounted on North Head in 1887 as defence against a Russian attack. The gun was designed to disappear below ground between firing 100-kilogram shells. It was restored to ceremonial firing condition in 2004 when it was fired for what is thought to be the second time since about 1915.

 

Pa huts found in Wellington
The remains of three ponga huts have been discovered on a piece of prime Wellington city property, the first archaeological evidence of a Maori pa in the area.
They were unearthed during an archaeological assessment at a Taranaki St site being turned into apartments.
Te Aro pa is known from extant paintings and other sources but the huts were the first evidence at the site, project archaeologist Nicola Molloy said. 'These house sites are hugely significant.'
The pa was probably built just before European contact with Maori and was still being lived in during the 1870s. The five-member archaeological team were 'still piecing things together', but the small huts had clearly been made of ponga posts and lived in. "

 

Development boom challenges council
An unprecedented 700 North Taranaki sections had been approved for development in the past 18 months, the New Plymouth District Council said yesterday. "
Mr Broad said the council applied to protect any sites of interest, provided by iwi and hapu, already shown on the district plan.
These sites were also registered with the New Zealand Archaeological Association and the Historic Places Trust.
"Whenever (development) is in close proximity, we have a consent process we go through to avoid harming or desecrating those sites."
But for many sites, the maps were incorrect, because the data were old and inaccurate, having been gathered by out-dated survey methods.
"If they are not shown on a relevant property, it is possible work could take place without knowing the site is there."
To counter this, the council was working with the Archaeological Association using up-to-date survey methods, such as global positioning systems, to revise maps, notify the owners of the affected land, and alert the public to any change to the district plan.
Also, some iwi and hapu were unaware of where previous settlement had taken place (as with the huge Maori settlement recently excavated at Bell Block) or had not been prepared to reveal where some sacred sites were.
"It's a matter of trust. But if we don't know about it, we can't formally protect it.

 

Researchers Believe Rodents Deforested Easter Island
Rats and Europeans are likely to blame for the mysterious demise of Easter Island, suggests a team of anthropologists.
The fate of the people who built hundreds of 10-ton stone statues on the South Pacific island and then vanished has long been seen as cautionary environmental tale. Natives deforested the island paradise to transport the useless statues, the story goes, triggering erosion that damaged farmlands. They then supposedly bumped themselves off in a cannibalistic civil war in about 1650."

Saturday, December 03, 2005