One man’s trash is another man’s treasure

There’s still a lot we  don’t know about the people who lived on Wairau Bar 700 years ago, but one thing is certain – they ate well.

The Bar’s strategic location between ocean, river and lagoon meant it was surrounded by food sources – in the ocean were kahawhai, red cod, dolphin, barracuda, mussels and snapper (interestingly the water was apparently much warmer back then, so although snapper are now rare  this far south they were common all those centuries ago). Stranded whales may not have been eaten, but their bones and teeth would have been valuable materials for making things with.