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Abstract
Presented here are results of field survey, sedimentology and pollen and starch analysis of sediment cores from two different environmental settings in the Tolaga Bay catchment, New Zealand. One of the sites is an inland floodplain paddock with ditch‐like features (which appear to be mainly horse‐drawn plough lines), the other a back‐dune wetland adjacent to the beach. The former is capped with a thick alluvial layer deposited during Cyclone Bola (1988) and has a layer of reworked 1.7 ka Taupo Tephra. Both sites show evidence of large‐scale prehistoric deforestation, and reveal starch grains similar in appearance to Polynesian‐introduced sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) and European‐introduced potato (Solanum tuberosum), suggesting cultivation of these crops.
Notes
Microfossil Research Ltd, 31 Mont Le Grand Rd, Mt Eden, Auckland 1024, New Zealand. www.microfossilresearch.com
School of Geography, Geology and Environmental Science, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
Department of Anthropology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.
Geoscience Australia, GPO Box 378, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia.
Tairawhiti Archaeological Services, 21 Norman Rd, Gisborne 4010, New Zealand.