Otago Peninsula
North of the Portabello area and immediately south of the Otakou Golf Club, a quarried rock face with a large collection of reeds on both sides of the road drew my attention. (45d, 48`, 53S – 170d, 41`,25E). In New Zealand, forever short of water, reeds mean water and very often in the UK, I have found that reeds indicate Roman Harbours.
The reeded area adjacent to the rock face on the eastern side of the highway, when subjected to MAS, indicated that it had originally been a harbour with the usual 3m wide quays and 3m wide channel space, each quay being in 5m modules. Just like Roman ones, Roman harbours are excavated and the quays left as free standing earth, then the harbour walls, harbour bottom and the quays are coated in puddled clay, (used to seal all Britain`s canals.) This seals and stabilizes the harbour’s earth walls and quays.
Adjacent to the harbour ran a line of smelter ramps, each still holding a 2m x 2m hearth type smelter.
