FOSSIL FOOTPRINTS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Issue 2, 8 July 1940, Page 3

FOSSIL FOOTPRINTS

PREHISTORIC BEASTS FIND ON EAST COAST * GISBORNE. Unmistakable evidence or a prehistoric era in New Zealand, reach- 1 ing far beyond the time of the moa, is furnished by prints preserved in a.' seam of mudstone located on the Matakaoa foreshore, about a mile and a half from the township of Te Araroa. The prints are those left by a huge animal, of great weight, and must have been impressed at a time when the seam was still soft enough for the surface mud to squeeze up into ridges between the toes of the animal's foot. The tracks can.be traced for some distance across the surface of the mudstone, but are quickly lost where the older and harder seams begin. For the greater part of each day, they are covered by the sea, and the obliterating action of the surf has made some impression upon their outlines, but still they present a clear outline cap able of being traced in a photograph. Snapshots of the prints' have been secured by Mr K. Glanville, a Gisborne surveyor, and Mr A. F. Taylor, a member of the staff, of the Native Department in Gisborne, who paid a visit recently to the vicinity, and identified without difficulty the impressions. It is-probable that a colony of huge mammals lived in the vicinity, for the tracks are of various sizes, the largest being 28 inches in breadth. Several prints of the latter dimensions are to be seen. Identification of Species. Mr Thomas Hovell, whose residence is near the deposit of fossil prints* notified the Dominion Museum authorities of their existence some time ago. He was advised that according to his description, the tracks might be those of either the megatherium or the ,labrynthodon, huge mammals of prehistoric days' estimated to have weighed up to 30 tons. In a layer of mudstone adjacent to the point where the huge prints are seen, th'ere are .innumerable tracks of the moa, and fossilised sponges and specimens of wood. The locality appears to have been overrun with wild life of the larger types, at different stages of its geological history, and people of naturalistic bent should find the deposit or repository of tremendous interest. It is suggested, however, that those who find sufficient interest in the deposit to inspect it should refrain from any vandalism. The larger prints of, prehistoric beasts are subject to gradual wear by the tides, and will be lost in time; but it would be regrettable if their loss was hastened by deliberate destruction. Maori Legend Recalled. In connection with the prints, there is a Maori legend concerning a great ancestor of prehistoric times whose feet left just such tracks. This ancestor had a mighty stride, for, according to the legend, he left his marks only at Matakaoa. at Whangara" and at Mahia. At the two last-named points, according to the Maoris, there are identical prints preserved in seams. Tales of the finding of skeletons of monsters of the olden days have persisted in this district from the time the first Avhite surveyors went among the Maoris. One engineer and surveyor who had an extensive knowledge of the district, and particularly of the area comprising the Matakaoa County, often spoke of a gully inland from Hicks Bay where he had found the outlines' of huge beasts plainly showing in the cliffs. It is reported also that in the Te Wera, hinterland there is another cache of the same kind. Information concerning these localities would be welcomed by residents of an investigative/ turn of mind.