Roadworkers unearth waka

Road workers have uncovered what’s thought to be parts of a pre-European Maori waka on a motorway project north of Auckland.

The object that’s believed to be a partially complete waka is under wraps at the Okahu inlet on the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway project.

The waka is thought to be 10 metres long and is still connected to the trunk of a kauri tree, the New Zealand Transport Agency said.

“A digger identified a wooden object under the surface of the inlet. The mud around the object was carefully removed exposing a large rectangular wooden object that extended across the excavation,” NZTA’s Chris Hunt said.

It is expected the object will be lifted into a storage container and taken to a new site under the close supervision of local iwi Hokai Nuku and Heritage New Zealand to be examined more closely with a view to its preservation.