Otatara Pa - Visit

Otatara Pa

SITE TO VISIT
Otatara
Hikurangi (applied to the lower pa, Otatara more properly to the upper one)
Ethnicity:	Maori
Site type:	Pa
Where:	In a reserve southwest of Taradale. There is a signposted carpark off Springfield Rd
How to get there:	Napier Buses
How Long to allow:	2 hrs walking over the site. Reasonable fitness needed
Disclaimer

Location:

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What:

Prehistoric Maori fortification reputedly the largest in New Zealand. There are clear defences, much terracing and kumara storage pits. There is some on-site interpretation, and a representation of former palisading built on a quarry damaged part of the site. Some of the site is beyond the reserve and this area should not be visited without permission.

What else to do there:

Great views over the plain to Napier, Hastings and beyond to Hawkes Bay. Museum in Napier. Wineries in the district.

Web Info:

DOC Page

DOC Place to visit page

DOC history of the site page

City of Napier page about the site

Historical Significance Assessment (pdf)

Published Information:

K. Jones and A.Walton. An interpretation of the settlement and defences of the Otatara-Hikurangi pa complex, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Archaeology, 27 (2006): 63-93.