Cook's Cove

History

Cook's Cove is named after the English explorer, Captain James Cook who arrived in the Tolaga Bay area in 1769. Cook and his crew were circumnavigating New Zealand in their vessel, the Endeavour, and spent some time in Cooks Cove (Opoutama). They dug a well and records kept indicate they were impressed with the Hole-in-the-Wall rock formation, near the cove.

The Tolaga Bay area had already been inhabited by Māori for many centuries. The main iwi (tribe) that lived at the Bay and used Cooks Cove for fishing and gathering other seafood was Te Aitanga a Hauiti.

Location of Cook's Cove Excavation

Cooks Cove is situated at the southern end of Tolaga Bay, 52 kilometers north of Gisborne and 2 kilometers south of Tolaga Bay township.

<googlemap lat="-38.281313" lon="178.033447" zoom="7"> -38.377757, 178.338881, Cook's Cove, New Zealand </googlemap>

Background of Cook's Cove Excavation

The archaeological excavation at Cook's Cove will salvage information from a site that is threatened by coastal erosion. The site is located on the southern bank of the river mouth at Cook's Cove.

It is an early site, probably dating to the 14th or early 15th century AD, based on the types of artefacts and midden material visible along the exposed edge. The age can also be assumed due to the presence of Loisels Pumice, and this site was one of Harold Wellman's type sites for his 1962 publication Holocene of the North Island of New Zealand.

Such sites are rare and because this site is currently being actively eroded by the sea a decision was made to carry out an excavation to retrieve valuable information prior to the total destruction of the site - an event that is not far off.

The work is being funded by the NZHPT, The University of Otago and the Gisborne Branch Committee of the NZHPT. It is being carried out in partnership with Te Aitanga a Hauiti. [1]

Goals of the Excavation

Targeted excavations on the site aim to retrieve midden (prehistoric food remains), material culture and radiocarbon samples.

The midden will be used to reconstruct subsistence activities and some environmental information. The material culture will assist in defining site function and relationships with other early New Zealand sites. The radiocarbon samples will provide information on the exact age of the site.