Media Addelpates

Many of you will be aware by now, because it's all over the RNZ website, Waikato Times and now also Stuff, that a journalist by the name of Susan Strongman from Radio New Zealand, and her friend from NZME, has exposed this dig to the world. Forget how they found out, that is immaterial now.

What is important is that the world will no longer know for sure if the cave was filled to hide what many do not want to be exposed (being 8'+ pre-Polynesian skeletons); and note that even we have said repeatedly, "we cannot prove anything until we find them". That can never happen now! Media representatives are such addelpates (morons, blockheads, losers, dolts or lamebrains - take your pick), at times.

We have put something on Facebook that quickly covers the article itself. First of all, it is not a burial site - it is a cave. We know that because there are no skeletons in the phreatic tube. So no, we are not ‘digging up’ a wahi tapu area. We know that because people like Susan Strongman are saying we aren't. Also 'experts' Susan has contacted say the picture we showed is a moa bone, and there is no recorded burial site in any archaeological record (even though this site was found once before and quickly covered up). Therefore, it is simply a cave and as Susan Strongman doesn’t believe what we are doing, all we are doing is simply digging out a man filled (not natural filled) filled cave just for the fun of it. There is much else she got wrong in her prejudice and rush to be a hero with an juicy article.

That article is where Susan Strongman's story ends however. There is nothing more Susan can ever add to it... ever! There is nothing more she can find of things we know that even some close to me don't. There is nothing more of consequence she can reveal. Her part in this whole episode is completely over. If we were to find what we hope to find, she could now only view it from the sidelines as a member of the public while an overseas journalist breaks the story to the world. We never wanted any NZ journalist to get a look in. With the breach we were ok with working with one. We don't need to now.

According to Susan Strongman's story, certain sections of the public are saying ("there are no giant skeletons and they have only ever found moa bones"). If that is true then clearly all we are doing is digging out a cave right? Completely harmless right? So why are certain people upset if we are wrong and they are right? But are we wrong? Besides, people are digging out mud filled caves all over the world where some caves flood with mud regularly. Cavers try dig them out to see what is inside.

So are we wasting our time? We didn't think we were because of the incredible potential of what could be in there, and the things we found, and the artifacts we exposed on the website from time to time that did not even remotely fit Polynesian styles. But now, Ms Strongman aka instant gratification girl, appears to have stopped the one chance anyone in NZ [ever had] of proving if the story was true. Of that cave, we will never know now. Therefore Susan Strongman has also blown the chance of her ever getting the story of the century if we are right - I told you she was 'instant gratification girl'.

So if you believe in what we were doing and what we have been producing, you can thank Susan Strongman for being directly responsible in ending this entire operation at this site at least. Besides, if you've seen some of the photos of the dig 'head', it's way too dangerous in there now anyway. They made sure the first time they were found 50 years ago that anyone trying to dig it back out would struggle. We have, and that has been on my mind since November and why we had only been down once since then. It's just dangerous now and one of us was nearly killed in October by falling debris. That shakes you a lot.

As there are three other known locations, albiet difficult in others ways, we will continue more with those now if we so choose, but to be honest a long break from all this is well overdue with this emotional upheaval. The answer does lie out there somewhere and behind the current wall of clay so at this site, if not us, someone else. In a humorous point, I suppose I can thank her for getting my life back for a year or so.

Here is what we had hinted on but were holding back a little (and naysayers need to take note). If you can't believe the femur we have is different to the moa bones we found just 40cm away in the fill and that it belongs to either a male of 7'10" or a female of 8'3" - then believe this... we talked face to face to someone who told us a very interesting story. Way back in 2008 a large skeleton and a blueish stone orb was found in the Linley Park Subdivision at Omokaroa during a construction job. The workers had to stop and called the authorities. Those that arrived included an Iwi representative, Carlton Bidois, and an Archaeologist, Brigid Gallagher. Upon inspection and while this person we have met was also there, Brigid confirmed verbally that the skeleton was 'pre-Polynesian'. Everything was loaded in a container and taken away. Of course she will deny that when contacted - we would expect that, so that's nothing new. But that unconcealed and somewhat careless comment was something our contact never forgot and so, some time ago upon accidentally finding the website, he let us know we were onto something real and to not give up. Then, when we finally met we heard the story and that he is prepared to put it in an affidavit. Carlton still has that stone orb in his living room so those who know him will confirm that it was once there (but we imagine not after today... ha ha)

In conclusion, and thanks to Susan Strongman (and her partner in perfidiousness), who has exposed this dig, we will now never know for sure if this cave was filled by hand specifically to hide some fourteen 8'+ pre-Polynesian skeletons that worried archaeologists and Iwi so much when they were first found. Strongman has conclusively prevented that from ever happening without official and publicly open help.

We know what will happen now, the tube will likely be filled with concrete. If so, any normal thinking person would have to ask themselves why bother... well, it's because they know what's further in there! Many do not want that re-exposed. Our contact in Te Akau can confirm that one way or the other.

So - no more dig at that location, no chance of final proof one way or the other, and no more story... for anybody; including the journalist aka 'instant gratification girl'. So regardless of which site of the story you believe you can all personally thank Susan Strongman via the email addresses on her twitter page for that -

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Turns out she couldn't hold her job of 4 years at RNZ, shifting in 2021 to the NZ institute of Architects and just over a year later (couldn't hold that job either) she ended up at AUT as a communications manager inn the school of future environments. At least when the story breaks RNZ won't be forced to get rid of her to get a story. But then, RNZ is a government controlled media site (just like RT is in Russia - which was banned here because it was government controlled... oh the irony), so it's unlikely they want the story spread by them.