A drainlayer unwittingly uncovered a human skeleton in Papamoa yesterday during construction work at the Papamoa Beach Top 10 Holiday Park.
Holiday park general manager Rebecca Crosby confirmed construction workers found a skull late yesterday morning. Further examinations revealed it was a full skeleton but work would continue today to fully excavate it. A karakia had been said over the site and the workers yesterday.
The skeleton, confirmed as historic, would be taken to Auckland University for analysis, she said.
Matire Duncan, of Papamoa iwi Nga Potiki, said the workers had been alarmed when they first uncovered the remains.
"They are doing some construction work for services and a drainlayer was excavating the drains for the new drainage pipes and he happened to have pulled up a skull in his excavation bucket. It's definitely, as it would most people, freaked him out."