Sidestep: Ancient drains of Kaiatia

The first article we produced on old drains was in 2016. You can read it here: http://tangatawhenua16.wixsite.com/the-first-ones-blog/single-post/2016/07/16/Sidestep-Prehistoric-drains-of-the-Kaipara

You can still see remnants of the old drains. The drain near the mound marked A was where the Awanui carved slab was found (as shown below in black and white.)

The swamp at Kaiatia was covered 50,000 acres and was varied in vegetation and formation. In the poorer areas Manuka grew but the south eastern side has rich alluvial soils and underneath all the peat deposits were found ancient drains...the most prolific being around lake Tangonge. This lake is where this 3 dimentional carving below was discovered. It is called simply the Kaitaia caring or Tangonge (after the lake it was found in). It is meant to sit on top of a village gate post. The deeper drains at Kaiatia are much older than the arrival of the suppossed 'fleet' Polynesians. A subtle hint is the carving and the slab (shown at the bottom of this article) where both styles are closer to Melanesian/Papua designs.

Another thing to note is that this whole area is slowly sinking and it may have been a lot higher than it is now some 1000 years ago. Kauri, puriri and manoao timber that is still embedded in this swamp shows that this area must have been formerly habitable dry land.

Tangonge (tango/nge) - (tango - take/hold of; accept, recieve / nge - noise). That name given to the lake (by Maori) makes no sense at all. I've read somewhere it means "The rustling of taro leaves when the wind blows" which could be said to be similar to 'accept the noise'? Yet there is no site or dictionary, Maori or otherwise, or even a single mention in an old journal, that seems to provide the meaning. Those old journals provided amn a full meaning to an old name. Maybe they too cannot reconsile the name as it is not a Maori name at all but the original from the language of the small group of existing ingidenous inhabitants? It just deepens the mystery.

The plan at the top of this post shows various drains over three properties. 'What is so unusual about these drains' you might ask. 'Are they not just old river beds?'

Initially when Europeans first arrived they could see patterns of raupo showing in the richer deposits of peat. What they didn't know was why. Farmers began draining the swamps, then when cutting their own drains in, they found the peat kept subsiding. Even though many feet of peat was removed the drains they cut kept subsiding until finally they dug down through 6 feet of peat, through various strata of old vegetation, to find the bottom of existing drains dug millenia before by, presumably, the Maori. Yet, at the time hese drians were found, according to the testimony of Maori, they had no knowledge of the existence of these old drains before starting drainage operations. Of course these days political Maori will say something else, but they cannot explain the depth and the carving styles.

It appeared that these old drains were designed to carry the waters of the small streams flowing out of the hills from the south through these rich swamp lands to Lake Tangonge. Generally each channel had to carry away the water of one stream, and small subsidiary ditches were attached to drain the land passed through. Some of the main channels were of large size, some ten or twelve feet wide.

These new drains now cut across the old ones and were of the same size. This showed the old drains cutters knew what was needed for good drainage. The heaps of spoil on each side show distinctly in some places. The channels are cut in curved courses. This may have been to avoid logs and stumps which are plentiful all over the swamp. The workers would have no appliances to deal with these obstructions, like sharp steel axes, saws and explosives, so would have to swerve off it to avoid obstacles. In one case noted there was a solid stump right in the middle, apparently, of the drain, the water probably flowing around the side. The impression was that these lands were used for intense cultivation. If it was for cultivation that might mean Kumara because they need well drained soil.

Near Kaitaia, the swamp lands are traversed by old drains. There is also evidence of similar draining and irrigation work in other parts of the Mangonui country. On section 52, Block VI., Maungataniwha, a Mr. Rhodes proceeded to drain this swamp, and had to deepen his drain to six feet through the subsiding peat before he got to the bottom of solid earth. After many years, when the peat had subsided, he found evidence of a previous drain. He also found a Maori oven on the original surface. When he started to plough the place up, he discovered two big stumps about a foot underground burnt off straight across. This area of his called “Fern Flat.” was an isolated clearing in the midst of a large forest on the Mungataniwha range, evidently cleared formerly by the original inhabitants. On Mr. Stewart Masters' farm, as shown on plan, there is an elevated area that has never been a swamp, a sort of island in the midst. On this has been found numerous ovens. When Mr. Masters started to plough it he had to be continually stopping to clear away the stones.

On another property nearby are two mounds surrounded by drains, evidently a dwelling place, on which were ovens and some old posts with sharpened points, which appeared to have been cut with an axe. It was here Mr. Stewart Masters discovered a bundle of Maori spades and other tools. Amongst this find was an old door panel of four feet long and one foot three inches wide. It had two mortised holes cut on the thickest edge. These were square cut and smoothly finished as if done by a chisel, and were evidently to hold a tenon from another panel. On the panel was the portion of a carved composite figure representing the head of a man and the body of a lizard. The head, natural size, was not straight on, but set on the slant just like the head shown on the heitiki. The body was marked by scales, and two fore feet were shown from the sides like a lizard. The rest would have been shown on adjoining panel. The description of this door-panel, like the carved lintel found about two miles away, shows a difference to the typical Maori design. The existence of squared mortised holes to fit tenons from the adjoining panels shows an advance in woodwork that was not attained by the Maoris. However, they have been retrieved and here they are...

The head on the left (and enlarged below) vaguely resembles the head on each end of the Kaiatia carving photo earlier in this post.

There is ample evidence to show that there was a heavy forest over the Kaitaia swamp one time. Probably this had disappeared before the advent of those original drainers, but a few dead trees may have remained, the stumps of which are still to be seen as described. There is evidence to show that the level of this swamp is gradually subsiding as these trees would never grow in the swamp. They also found in places stakes across the larger channels, which would suggest the remains of eel weirs. The nice curved lines of the main drains suggested the use of canoes on them for transport.

On the Masters' farm are some very large pits as shown on plan in two groups. Some of them are twenty-five feet long and ten feet wide, and must have originally been of great depth, as even now the depth of some is about ten feet. These pits are excavated out of the softest of sandstone rocks on the raised mounds.above the swamp. Mr. Masters does not ever remember seeing any water in them, so the bottom must be designedly porous nature. These must have been used for the storage of food, such as kumaras, fern root, etc., or even habitations. much like the poit dwellers of teh Pelrous sound.

As similar drains are found in other places in this country, especially in North Auckland, there must have been a regular drainage age. The Maoris of the present day living in this district do not know anything about the history of these drains. Of course their traditions are all oral, and only the principal events would be preserved, such as furious wars and the genealogical records. The peaceful arts of husbandry would not be recorded as is the case of our own written histories of early times. The creators of these works may have been subjected to a fierce onslaught from an armed force and slaughtered, the victors retaining the country allowing the cultivations through neglect to clear the drains to revert to swamp areas again.

What is clear is that Polynesian arriving from the Pacific dd not suddenly embark of doing something unknown to them at such a scale. The other clue is the artifacts discovered. If Polynesians built these they would have had to do so in the first 100 years of being here, and very suddenly, and for no reason, produced art styles unknown to them in Polynesia. That is simply illogical as Polynesians followed traditions, styles, what they knew worked, what was tried and true. No, what those old drains are are old earthworks from those here before them. Those who has different styles of carving, different gods and different tools. What Polynesians observed was a people already here who had built them over Millennia. But they were likely overthrown because the drains have filled in over the last 800 years. You don't go to all the trouble of digging drains with wooden tools in a process to take 150 years possibly (and keep in kind when Maori arrived there was only 80 people per double canoe including women and children - not 500+) and then suddenly abandon them. No, they were abandoned by a people afraid of these warrior immigrants and who hid their valuable taonga from them which is why they have been found under 5-6 feet of peat in the 1800's. (This is similar to Te Ununuku - which was hidden from invaders). And trust us when we suggest many more artifacts that do not fit Polynesians styles are still to be found, and some already have been that are being hidden until the proper time.

Just how much more is hidden in those areas is unkown. Ground scanners will pick evidence up one day when a new phase of archeological work begins as the result of us proving the Polynesians are not the original Tangata Whenua, but just immigrants, as the rest of us are. When then truth is known much more will be found and, in some cases, 'conveniently' found in old museum basements - we can assure you of that! But it's the private collections that hold the best treasures yet found.