Author Archives: Rebecca Phillipps

Here we are at day 12 already, some of us counting down the days we can sleep in our own beds or shower multiple times a day, some of us yearning for a longer stay, but everyone in a relaxed, … Continue reading →

The day began with 2 sad (but hearty) jam sandwiches, a strong coffee and a banana, a meal fit for a hard day’s work of excavation. My shoes had dried out after falling into the ocean the day before, I … Continue reading →

Bones. Whether you’re wanting to walk upright or just design a really cool flag for your pirate ship, bones are absolutely invaluable. In archaeology, bones are invaluable because they can provide us with a great deal of useful information. But … Continue reading →

It was windy again today. We had 70km an hour winds to start off the day, which lessened by perhaps 2 or 3 km an hour throughout the course of the day. Intermittent squalls paid us a visit during the … Continue reading →

If Wednesday was the day of rain, Thursday was the day of wind. We arrived on site to discover overnight rainfall had carved a new channel taking our stream out to sea. The dampness is often useful for revealing features … Continue reading →

We began the day with a sleep in however short it may have been and reported for breakfast at 6.45am. By 7.30 am, Richard was still tired and complaining but we managed to depart on time for the field. Today, … Continue reading →

Today marked the first proper day of work, here at Great Mercury Island. After a trek through long grass and sheep paddocks we made our way to Coralie Bay where we would be focusing our attention for this season.   … Continue reading →

Over the course of the blogs, have you ever wondered how many rocks actually make up our excavation site? Well, probably not, but we can tell you anyway! 1856, to be precise. How do we know this you may ask? … Continue reading →

Today, I—Jennifer—embarked on an entirely expected journey.  This journey was that of the Surveying team lead by Zac.  Ever since arriving on Great Mercury Island and hearing the phrase “pedestrian survey” I was…mildly curious. And after hearing all the tales … Continue reading →

Day seven, where to begin? It was our day off! It had been a hard seven days of wind, scorching sun and excavation on Tamewhera but now it was time to have a day off to see the beauty and … Continue reading →