ARAPUNI REMAINS.

Shannon News, 3 July 1925, Page 4

ARAPUNI REMAINS.

STRATA IN WHICH POUND MIDDLE TERTIARY OR MIOCENE

In connection with the human bones discovered during excavations 100 ft below the surface at Arapum, little’ further has transpired. The foreman of one ol the excavating gangs has, collected, some fresh material for investigation. Mr. C. A. Moore, of Putaruru, who reported the discovery of the limb bones, writes as follows: —“I am waiting' in hopes ut securing at least a portion 01. a skull before sending a’ wav to Dunedin for a further report The'bones I have examined up to date are mostly limb bones, and whereas they furnish some idea, of the stature, and physique of the individual, they give very little, if any, idea of the type. ■•We must, therefore rely almost entirety on the possibility of securing a skull, or the essential parts of one, before making: any definite statement about the race ol people to whom the bones belonged. As the final phase in the development of man was the refinement, of the facial features the skull would determine the type, intellect and, to some extent the character of the people. "The strata of rock in which ' the bones lay is of the middle tertiary or mioeene period, and this, if anything, gives additional support to the theory that (hey were those of a pre-Maori race. However, although it is impossible to make a direct statement concerning them a.t, present, fresh material may lie uncovered in the course of further excavation and provide the required data. "That there existed in New Zealand a face of people before the Maoris'is generally accepted but concerning them and their history we know praeCeally nothing. in the South Island, for example, drawings and inscriptions have been discovered on the walls of certain caves and offer a, baffling riddle to archaeologists as to their origin and meanings

“Knowing' therefore that a race of people actually existed prior to the advent of the Maori, the remains lately uncovered, lying as they do in the very heart of the cliff, are well worth a thorough investigation.