The expedition headed into Taiari/Chalky Inlet and Rakituma/Preservation Inlet aboard Fiordland Expedition’s vessel Tutoko II.
The trip was organised by Toitu Otago Settlers Museum in partnership with Oraka Aparima Runaka, Heritage New Zealand, The Department of Conservation and Otago Museum.
The eight-person team included representatives from those organisations.
The main purpose was to film a second of the award-winning Furthest Frontier documentary series and to update some of the records of known archaeological sites around the inlets.
Two underwater surveys were undertaken by a team led by experienced maritime archaeologist Dr Kurt Bennett. The first was of New Zealand’s first shore-based whaling station at Port Bunn, Cuttle Cove, which was established and occupied for about a decade from 1829. The second was at the wharf of the boom-to-bust gold ghost town Te Oneroa.
Other archaeological sites visited during the six-day expedition included early Maori rock art, European sealing camps, gold mines and the hulk of the 19th century New Zealand government steamer Stella.
The expedition had been postponed twice due to pandemic implications, and was able to go ahead under strict Red traffic light restrictions.
The team was accommodated and ferried around by Fiordland Expeditions, skippered by Fiordland local Richard Abernethy.
He said it was an incredible experience to view in action professionals who were so passionate about sharing the area’s history with others.
The area was remote, rugged and unforgiving for the ill-prepared. But it was also a beautiful corner of New Zealand surprisingly steeped in human history.
It was a rare chance to bring together a number of skilled heritage professionals in a special place, rich with early southern history.
The expedition was made possible by the support of Fiordland Expeditions and the Otago Settlers Association.
