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The remains of a waka (traditional boat) have been found on Rēkohu Wharekauri Chatham Island, the largest of the Chatham Islands archipelago, 800km east of New Zealand.
Fragments of the boat were exposed in a creek and a limited excavation was subsequently undertaken. In total, over 450 objects were recovered, including many pieces of timber, ranging from large sections of hull planking to small wooden pegs. Some fragments have been intricately carved and inset with obsidian and iridescent pāua (abalone) shells. Investigators were also excited by the presence of a considerable quantity of braided fibres – potentially from a sail – as well as rope, caulking, and other textiles and organic materials.
Archaeological intervention was restricted to the parts of the waka that were visible above ground, and these were heavily fragmented, so the full size of the boat remains unknown, but it seems likely that it was a large, ocean-voyaging vessel. ‘The discovery of such a substantial volume of material associated with a vessel like this is extremely rare – where other waka have been found elsewhere, only very small parts survive,’ said Justin Maxwell, lead archaeologist of Sunrise Archaeology.
The excavated finds are currently undergoing conservation and further investigation. It is hoped that radiocarbon dating will shed light on the age of the vessel, while other analyses may reveal more about the wood from which the waka was built and potentially where it was constructed. This research will help us to understand the full significance of the find, but researchers believe that it may be one of the most notable in Polynesian archaeology to date, with the potential to teach us a great deal about ancient waka technology, as well as early navigation and trade across the Pacific. Regardless of its age, the discovery represents an important part of the heritage of the island’s local indigenous communities, who have been closely involved in this project with New Zealand’s Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
Text: Amy Brunskill / Image: Justin Maxwell, Sunrise Archaeology
