THE CATLINS: Papatowai
PAPATOWAI. TAHAKOPA BAY (WEST OF OWAKA),
THE BAY GIVES ACCESS TO THE TAHAKOPA AND MACLELLAN RIVERS.
This bay has also been the site of a major loss for the Chinese fleet. The final resting place of three 47m x 11m Junks, two 100m x 50m and one 150m x 50m Junk have been located, plus four small junks, two 11m x 8m and two 16m x 8m.
TWO CHINESE SITES HAVE BEEN LOCATED ON THE WEST BANK OF THE RIVER TAHAKOPA.
PAPATOWAI CAMP SITE. THE CATLINS (46d, 33`, 31S. – 169d, 27`, 30E)
In the centre of the campsite, the ramparts of a barrack platform are clearly visible. MAS indicated, that under the platform, lay the foundations of a 40m x 30m walled structure, enclosing the foundations of three barrack blocks, each with 8+1 rooms.
BEACH BELOW PAPATOWAI CAMP SITE. THE CATLINS
Two openings each 20m wide have been cut through the soft sandstone fronting the beach, one 50 north and one 35m south of the camp access path to the beach.
Each opening is at present concealed by a wall of sand pushed by wave action. But once one climbs over, the mounds of sand covering the hulls can be clearly seen. Bushes (scrub) covered the area. The junks, each 16m x 8m, with their anchors out, are flanked in both cases by the walls of soft sandstone which formed their harbour. MAS indicated that in both cases 8.5m wide stone lined channels had been constructed to float the junks into the sea. Northern Junk. (46d, 33`, 33S, – 169d, 27`, 40E).
Southern Junk, ( 46d, 33`, 34S, – 169d, 27`, 40E)
MIRREN STREET, PAPATOWAI. THE CATLINS.
Further to the south of the camp site is Mirren Street. Two of the properties are sited on part of a barrack block platform, with a visible seaward edge. MAS located the foundations of a walled structure 40m x 20m, with three internal barrack blocks, also located was an aqueduct entering the site by the existing post box. The beach at this point is close to the river bar. The beach path area was checked and MAS indicated the presence of two harbours, constructed in stone, each 8.5m wide and 25m long, (46d, 33`, 43S, – 169d, 28`, 20E.). Also indicated was the outline, in each harbour, of a 11m x 8m junk, both with their anchors out. Each junk appeared to have a 1.5m x c200mm object projecting over the bow. Discussions with Raymond Selkirk, one of Britain’s most experienced marine archaeologists, suggested that this could well be part of the forward steering oar system, as found in Junks designed for river use. Unless a craft has a differential speed with the water that it is sailing on, normal steering is impossible. So for such vessels a forward steering oar is fitted. It was noted that heavy iron staining of the sand was occurring, in the bow area of the Junks.
TAHAKOPA BAY. PAPATOWAI, THE CATLINS.
A survey along the beach indicated that a 47m x 11m Junk. (46d, 33`, 37S, -169d, 29, 20E), was broached to and covered by sand. One spar 150mm square, burnt at the end, protruded horizontally from the sand, the covering sand being circa one metre deep. The wood was unknown to me but did not appear to be a hardwood, such as mahogany or teak, was light coloured, (sun bleached) and beginning to go rotten in the centre. Whilst the junk has had two anchors out, their holding power appears to have been inadequate for the conditions experienced..A sample of the timber was removed for laboratory examination and carbon dating.
The outlines of several other junks by the uss of a magnetic anomaly survey.
47m x 11m Junk (46d, 33`, 37S, – 169d, 29`, 20E.) broached to wreck, on edge of sand dunes. Sand cover c 2 – 3metres.
47m x 11m Junk. (46d, 33`, 40S – 169d, 28`, 03E) in standard stone harbour, plus 11.5m wide, stone walled channel to sea. Double anchors to seaward. This junk had been trading and was not wrecked.
Near point of river mouth, MAS located the outlines of three large wrecked Junks;
100m x 50m Junk, on bay side of river mouth, this vessel lies in roughly a N/S line.
(46d, 33`, 44S – 169d, 28`,50E).
Within the river mouth, MAS detected the outline of two vessels, lying roughly north south, so close that at first it appeared to be a continuous hull, a closer check revealed that the innermost vessel 100m x 50m, with its anchors down, appeared to have had the second vessel tied to it only 10m astern. Presumably the larger vessel lost it`s anchors, received a tow, then both were driven ashore, or else the smaller vessel is over the larger vessels anchors.
Bow of 100m x 50m Junk, (46d, 33`, 42S, – 169d, 27`, 55E)
Stern of 150m x50m Junk, (46d, 33`, 46S, – 169d, 28`, 00E)
COMMENTS.
Three of the major and two of the smaller Junks appear to have been overwhelmed by a tidal wave, carried up the beach alongside the point and left virtually high and dry. The three larger vessels displacing thousands of tons would be impossible to refloat, even if they had not been damaged. The two 47m x 11m vessels were left lying parallel to the sand dunes and probably damaged beyond repair.
PAPATOWAI (OLD COACH ROAD). THE CATLINS.
In the absence of a bridge, the Tahakopa River was forded near the river bar and a 1km long track constructed through the bush, parallel to the shore, back to the northern abutment of the modern bridge. The road then continued to Maclennan. MAS run over this area indicated that the river had been previously bridged, the causeway, and the northern bridge abutment being located adjacent to the existing bridge on the south side.
An archaelogical report confirms that a Maori camp midden at the end of the Bay Point was excavated in the 1980s, by Mr Bateman. He found human bones. The remainder of the midden analysis is listed below;
Bird 10%, Dog 4.3%,Fish 11.7%,Seal 40.6%, Moa 33.8%. (100.4% ?).
No shell fish were found. Interestingly at the point, break up of the sand dunes has now exposed thousands of shells. This form of shell midden is typical of Chinese occupation.
Close examination of the 1,000m length of the coach road area, showed that it ran through a 1,000m x c70m wide double-ramparted fort. The foundations of the stone walls
topping the ramparts are still in situ. (Maori only used wooden stockades on their ramparts). Between the inner and outer ramparts on the eastern side ran a 6m wide canal with stone sides. This canal was fed from the Maclellan River. It ended in a small, heavily sedimented, reed-filled harbour above the beach. Below this harbour was the stone harbour of the 47m x 11m Junk.(46d, 33`,40S, – 169d, 28`, 03E). The water from the Maclellan was presumably used to provide drinking water for the Fort`s occupants, to flush their latrines and finally to keep the Junk`s harbour flooded. It is essential to keep wooden hulls wet, to prevent timber shrinkage, distortion and leakage.
Within the area surrounded by the ramparts, a MAS over the first section of the Loop Track, ie at right angles to the Coach Road, located the foundations of a line of barrack blocks ten deep. The survey along the line of the coach road indicated barrack blocks for the complete length, each block with intermediate spacing occupied c 50m As well as the eight x 4m rooms, in each case the ninth room was paved and ten metres long. ie 1000m divided by 50m = 20 blocks, ten deep = 200 blocks assuming 8 per room (as Roman occupation), 8×8 = 64per block, 200 blocks x 64 = This indicates that c12,800 Chinese had been shipwrecked. These figures tie in to Gavin Menzies’ accounts of the vast treasure ships crews and also substantiate the results of the Magnetic Anomaly Survey of the Junks’ hull dimensions.
Walking over the resting place of these 100m & 150m x50m, football pitch sized hulls, I could but wonder. The largest ship I have sailed in displaced 12,000tons, was c175m overall and c18m beam, with a crew of 80 plus 30odd passengers. No comparison.
CONCLUSION.
Laboratory analysis of the hull timber from the wrecked 47m x 11m junk, gave a carbon date of c 1700AD.The timber was unusual, in that it came from Henderson Island, near the Pitcairn Islands. One can only suppose that the Junk had been repaired prior to it`s final unknown end on the shores of Tahakopa Bay.
Carbon dating of one of the shells from the midden gave a result of c 900AD.
The presence of the stone ramparted fort of Chinese construction and the dating evidence indicates that Papatowai was inhabited by the Chinese for at least a period of 800 years. However, when one takes into account Waikato University`s website, which indicates carbon dating of Moa bones etc for this area from 485AD, thus the Chinese occupancy of the area extends to at least 1215 years.
Presumably the Chinese were exploiting the mineral resources inland and accessed them by the rivers. Brief surveys indicated that the local rivers had been converted to enable them to be navigated. We can but assume that the Maori invaders finally overcame the Chinese and then occupied the site, hence the human bones found in the Maori midden.
