Variable horticulture within a small garden on Ahuahu (Great Mercury Island)

Abstract

Archaeological excavations in a small gardening complex on Ahuahu (Great Mercury Island, New Zealand) documented variable horticultural practices within a limited area. The gardening features were located on the lower slope of a ridge and extended into a present-day swamp. A series of rock-faced terraces were constructed on the steeper upper slope, with a set of stone alignments orientated parallel to the gradient on the lower slope. The excavations documented gardening behind the terraces, around and between the alignments, within a linear depression or channel, and in the swampy low lying area. A transect of test pits also documented the probable addition of sand to a small area, possibly as a means of creating a more friable horticultural soil. The presence of these horticultural features in the small garden suggest that it was more intensively used then the surrounding area, however there are much larger more intensified gardening complexes in the north of the island.