The excavation area was rather crowded at times but everyone had a job to do as excavator, surveyor, label writer to include with samples, siever, or bucket carrier
The last few days on Ahuahu Great Mercury Island were hectic and the weather was not particularly obliging. We had intense heat, then rain and strong winds from the north west with our dune excavation was in its direct path. Many flakes and oven stones were found in the 12 m2 area which required the location to be captured using the total station so the coordinates could be transferred into the GIS system. Flakes of chert, obsidian and basalt were located, and the sand in each 1 m2 sieved to recover all the minute flake debris from making flake tools.
The wind and incoming tide caused a few anxious moments for the datum and use of total station but a sand barricade proved effective
As usual on the last day, the excavation took longer than expected and we were under pressure to finish the recording and photography and get the excavation squares ready for backfilling. The weather, and the quantity of flakes, prevented us from excavating the cultural layers in all squares so we sandbagged the edges of the unexcavated squares and covered them with a tarpaulin before the farm manager kindly helped us backfill with the tractor. By this stage everyone was exhausted and sand blasted. However that wasn’t the end of the work. Students worked long into the evening entering the samples into an Access database, and the surveyors were also working hard making sure the data was downloaded from the total station and correct. The rule is that all the data is entered before the fieldwork period ends.
Preparing the excavation area for backfilling so we can return at a later date and finish the work
The final day – Sunday – was sunny and calm. After house cleanup and packing, samples, luggage and students were delivered to the boat for return to Whitianga, and the remainder of us, with a large quantity of samples, personal luggage and electronic equipment caught the boat several hours later.
The fieldwork season was highly successful and everyone worked well together. The island is a beautiful place but we were too busy to enjoy the beaches in a relaxing way. Thanks to Peter and Pete Johnston of Ngati Hei for being with us and sharing some of Ngati Hei’s stories of the island. Thanks also to Michael Fay for hosting the crew.
Just some of the gear ready to leave the island
Although the fieldwork is over this is not the end of the project. Students on the field school will choose a topic broadly related to lithics, gardening or environment reconstruction and analyse material brought back to the Anthropology Department. This process will take all year and then the information can be collated to assist with writing the report which will describe methodology, natural and cultural layers, and interpretation, and will also include analysis, photographs, maps and plans.
– Louise