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.

The finds would be of interest to historians and the Wellington Tenths Trust, Ms Molloy said. The site would have been the scene of much contact between European settlers and Maori.

The discovery would not affect building of the apartments because the developers had the necessary clearance to deal with them, Ms Molloy said. The huts would probably be covered over beneath the new building.

The dig, which has turned up other artefacts, would continue for another few days, Ms Molloy said, with the team photographing the finds and collecting samples for posterity.

- NZPA