OLD MAORI RELICS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16622, 14 April 1928, Page 4

OLD MAORI RELICS

AN INTERESTING FIND SERIES OF TREASURES (Special to the Herald,) - AUCKLAND, this day. An interesting find of Maori articles was made during the Easter holidays by Messrs. Trevor Lloyd and Church,' of Auckland, on , the Anawhata Stream, situated on the west coast between Piha and Muriwai.' .About two miles up stream they came upon a rock shelter, evidently worn out of the. cliff by water many centuries ago. In front of it were mounds formed by large piles of. pipi shells, clearly showing former Maori occupation. "The floor of the shelter was covered with debris from the ceiling above. ' Clearing away the deposit which had been much walked over by unsuspecting pakebas, Mr. Lloyd found a layer of dry fern, and other vegetable matter, which, in his ,opinion, t the old-time Maoris had brought in for bedding. From this, he ..dug a ; number of treasures. The most "notable was a finely polished whalebone more, about lßin. long. There were also two wooden combs, with the usual long teeth, and a number of pieces of Wood that had been used for making fire by rubbing.

Perhaps even- more were several articles associated with painting. A stono slab, squared on three sides and weighing about 201 b., bore signs of having been.useiPfor griming mineral pigment. A paua. .shell containing some of the red.pigment'] itself; was*uhfortunatelv broken ~pp the rough journey-back. With these.; relies:.; Was a' /''brush"/ dorisislin/r.of a small ;.buheh of black, human hair tied round; witlva strand of-flax.