Far North workshop to promote ancient art of stonemasonry
Participants will spend the rest of the time using practical skills learned on the course to repair a stretch of Edmonds Ruins' stone wall.
'The course will be a lot of hands-on fun and by the end of it, participants will be able to undertake basic repairs to stone walls safely and with confidence,' he said.
Participants will need to have a reasonable level of fitness and mobility. The course will cost $400 a person and that includes transport around the sites, basic safety gear, including gloves and eye protection, and lunches. Participants will need to cover their accommodation.
The workshop is part of New Zealand Archaeology Week (May 3-11), a national celebration of our archaeological heritage.
To book or for more information, contact jdanilo@heritage.org.nz .
■ Stone walls are a kind of masonry construction that has been used for thousands of years. The first stone walls were constructed by farmers and primitive people by piling loose field stones into a dry stone wall. Later, mortar and plaster were used, especially in the construction of city walls, castles, and other fortifications before and during the Middle Ages. These stone walls are spread throughout the world in various forms.
Stone walls are usually made of local materials varying from limestone and flint to granite and sandstone. However, the quality of building stone varies greatly, both in its endurance to weathering, resistance to water penetration and in its ability to be worked into regular shapes before construction.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
11-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Family's find joins artefacts
Tūhura Otago Museum kaupapa Māori curator Dr Gerard O'Regan holds a moa bone and partly formed stone tool, which were collected by the McFarlane family at Tiwai Point in the late 1960s. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH An extensive archaeological dig at Tiwai Point before the aluminium smelter was built was complemented by some extra treasure hunting. Those extra artefacts, mainly stone tools from hundreds of years ago, were intriguing to a youngster or two making discoveries in the late 1960s and they ended up in family storage for decades. During the weekend, they were laid out on tables at Tūhura Otago Museum in Dunedin and the public was invited to view the cataloguing process. The artefacts — such as partly formed tools and a few moa bones — were recovered by the McFarlane family. Margaret McFarlane was at the museum on Saturday. She said her father was a civil engineer in Invercargill in the 1960s. Her older brother, Grant, sometimes tagged along, she said. "So probably Grant was bored, and he was poking around while Dad was doing stuff, and he kept finding things and showing Mum and Dad," Ms McFarlane said. That led to a substantial 1968 excavation and the material from this is now at the University of Otago, which has begun to assess and catalogue 11 tonnes of stone artefacts and faunal material. Previous research on the site indicated about 600 years ago the Tiwai Point settlement was focused on production of toki, or adze, a stone tool used for cutting or carving. Museum kaupapa Māori curator Gerard O'Regan said taoka, or treasures, had been looked after by the McFarlane family for decades, but they wondered about finding them an appropriate long-term home. "We had this almost like a meant-to-be moment when Margaret's family, the McFarlane family, got in touch to say, 'well, look, we've got this collection. What's the appropriate thing to do with it?'," Dr O'Regan said. "It coincided with this opportunity with New Zealand Archaeology Week to bring these taoka out, lay them out on the tables, and have people come and see us doing the actual cataloguing." The artefacts would be in a condition ready to go to Te Rūnaka o Awarua and could join the Tiwai collection at Southland Museum, he said.
Otago Daily Times
10-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Stone tools insight into history of Tiwai Point
Toki found at Tiwai before the aluminium smelter was built by the McFarlane family which are now being gifted to Te Rūnaka o Awarua and Tūhuru Otago Museum. Photo: Supplied by Dr Gerard O'Regan Stone tools from hundreds of years ago that were collected before the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter was built are being assessed and catalogued at Tūhura Otago Museum this weekend. The artefacts - such as partly formed tools - were recovered by the McFarlane family from the Tiwai peninsula in Southland in the late 1960. They have now been taken out of storage with the family, and the public has been invited to view the cataloguing process at the museum in Dunedin this weekend. People have also been invited to bring in their own treasures and to discuss them with experts. The McFarlane family collection adds to 11,000 tonnes of material that is being assessed at the University of Otago from a 1968 excavation. Previous research on the site indicated about 600 years ago the Tiwai Point settlement was focused on production of toki, or adze, a stone tool used for cutting or carving. Museum kaupapa Māori curator Gerard O'Regan said taoka, or treasures, had been looked after by the McFarlane family for decades, but they wondered about finding them an appropriate long-term home. Other people might be in a similar situation, or wondering about the historical or cultural significance of treasures they had gathered, he suggested. "We know there is more archaeological material that members of the public have relating to Tiwai and indeed the wider Southland and Otago regions," Dr O'Regan said. "By assessing what people have unearthed and collected at different times, we all learn more about the history around us. "It's also about ensuring there's an accurate record of all the artefacts discovered in the region and its significance to our past." Activity at the museum this weekend ties in with New Zealand Archaeology Week.
Scoop
08-05-2025
- Scoop
Archaeological Investigations At Tiwai Set To Expand To Otago-Southland Community
People are being encouraged to come and see how Māori stone artefacts are examined and catalogued at Tūhura Otago Museum. They are also welcome to bring in any artefacts they have found for identification by experts, in a bid to gather more historical insights about the artefacts and the region - timed in with New Zealand Archaeological week in May. Tūhura Otago Museum Curator Māori Dr Gerard O'Regan, supported by archaeologist Dr Chris Jennings, are leading the charge to gain a wider understanding of what artefacts are out there that could hold historical and cultural significance, especially finding those with links to excavations that have occurred over the decades around Tiwai Point. The Tiwai peninsula, around the entrance to Bluff Harbour in Southland has been a significant site of industry for around 600 years. Studies on the site have indicated that Tiwai Point was a settlement focused on stone tool production, especially toki (adzes) of different designs and sizes used for shaping wood. More recently, eleven tonnes of stone artefacts and faunal material – the remains of hunting, fishing and shellfish gathering, extracted from Tiwai in 1968, (and have been in storage for 57 years), was relocated to University of Otago this year for survey analysis, review, and cataloguing – under the name the Tiwai Collection. The Tiwai Collection is led by Te Rūnaka o Awarua, the local Ngāi Tahu tribal authority for the peninsula, with support and funding from Rio Tinto New Zealand Aluminium Smelter (NZAS) who operate the aluminium smelter on the peninsula. 'We know there is more archaeological material that members of the public have relating to Tiwai and indeed the wider Southland and Otago regions,' says Dr O'Regan. 'Over the years many families and enthusiastic individuals have found and collected Māori artefacts from our southern beaches. By assessing what people have unearthed and collected at different times, we all learn more about the history around us. It's also about ensuring there's an accurate record of all the artefacts discovered in the region and its significance to our past,' he says. The focus of this week's project, Kā taoka o Tiwai – Treasures of Tiwai, is a review of artefacts recovered by the McFarlane family from Tiwai peninsula in the late 1960's. Following the archaeological excavations taking place at Tiwai Point, the McFarlane family have looked to return the artefacts they found to Te Rūnaka o Awarua. 'The family acknowledge that the artefacts have value and knowledge relevant to Southern New Zealand, and therefore recognise the importance of understanding and cataloguing the taoka,' says Dr O'Regan. 'Other people who have artefacts they want to get identified are also welcome to bring them along to the Kā taoka o Tiwai cataloguing workshop, which is taking place at the Tūhura Otago Museum 10am – 4pm Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th of May, during New Zealand Archaeology Week.' 'As the generations that discovered those artefacts are getting older, it is important to recognise and document the significance of these findings. The last thing we want is valuable material to end up in storage or even the rubbish tip, with its true story untold,' says Tiwai Collection Project Manager Wayne Marriott. 'It's about promoting a wider public understanding of the whakapapa and archaeological discoveries made at Tiwai Point,' says Dion Williams, Community and Social Performance Manager at Rio Tinto NZAS. 'Being part of this work has been an absolutely privilege for Rio Tinto/NZAS , and we cannot wait to see the discoveries on display for the public to see,' he says. About New Zealand Archaeology Week New Zealand Archaeology Week, running from 3 to 11 May 2025, was established by the New Zealand Archaeological Association, and aims to increase public awareness and highlight the importance of protecting our archaeological heritage by promoting the work of New Zealand archaeologists both at home and abroad. This will be the ninth New Zealand Archaeology Week and will comprise a variety of events around Aotearoa and content shared online. These events are being hosted by consultant archaeologists, museums, heritage organisations and iwi and will include public talks, historic walks, community events and displays across a number of regions. About Kā taoka o Tiwai – Treasures of Tiwai Around the time of the 1969-1971 construction of the Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter, the McFarlanes, a young family interested in archaeology, explored Tiwai Point and recovered numerous stone artefacts. Treasured by the family for many years, these artefacts are now finding their way south again. To help that a team of the family, curators and archaeologists will be sorting, cataloguing and repacking the artefacts. This work will be open for the public to come and see the taoka close up and learn what archaeologists look for in the artefacts. You are also welcome to bring in any other artefacts that you'd like to have identified and explained. This workshop is a partnership of the McFarlane family, Te Rūnaka o Awarua, New Zealand Aluminium Smelter and Tūhura Otago Museum. The workshop will take place on the 10th-11th May 2025 at Hutton Theatre, Tūhura Otago Museum.
