MAORI AXES AT HIMATANGI.

Shannon News, 24 August 1928, Page 2

MAORI AXES AT HIMATANGI.

AN INBEBESTINO FINS. While riding on horseback along the back of the Himatangi run one day last week (says the Foxton Herald), Master Eric Robinson, son of Mr Fred Robinson, of Foxton, discovered three Maori greenstone axes, of varying , lengths. The noise of the horse’s shoe striking some metallic substance on the sandy ground caused the boy to dismount, and just beneath the sand

he discovered three large greenstone

axes or adzes, piled one on top of the . other. The implements are in a splendid state, of preservation and the edges are very keen. One is shaped to fit ifi the palm of the hand, used probably for finishing purposes, and the others are longer and were probably fastened to wooden handles, for rougher work. The implements arc beautifully grooved \ and polished. They are not 'of pule greenstone being mingled with some rock substance which gives them a mottled appearance. Hie locality where the implements { wove found is npt far from an old i Maori burial ground and possibly were buried with the owner, or on the other hand may have been misplaced and nor recovered. There is no doubt but. what they were associated with the Ngatiapa tribe, who in the dim past oceu-> pied the land there. The Maori name for such implements is told and for the smaller edged tools ponekenelce. Many years ago a Maori maiden hid a beautiful greenstone mere somewhere in the same locality and grief was expressed at the loss by the’ tribe, and thereafter the locality was named Himatangi. The mere still remains in its hiding place. <£ '

In conversation with Mr W. Aparaima, he expressed the opinion that the adzes had probably been buried witli ' the owner and in the course of time the sand, drifted by the wind from the grave had left the axes exposed. . In many spots along this coast, the drifting" sand had exposed the remains v of Maoris in ancient burial Mr Aparaima said it was not the custom to bury valuables \uch as merCs, etc., with men of rank. These were carefully wrapped and hidden in places apart from the graves.