Bones discovered during construction work on Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway have been aged to be at least 180,000 years old and possibly up to 345,000 years.
The bones were welcomed to Palmerston North with a karakia and a waiata.
Photo: RNZ/ Dom Thomas
At a pre-dawn ceremony today, those bones were uplifted from that site, and moved to Te Manawa, the Palmerston North museum.
They were carried inside wrapped up in boxes, then laid out on the floor - with iwi members, kaitiaki representatives, and Waka Kotahi Transport Agency staff sitting nearby - the bones were welcomed with a karakia and waiata.
When the ceremony was finished, the bones were then carried out, to the rear of the museum, into a storage room.
Many of the bones were too fragile and sensitive to be moved out of their boxes and remained wrapped up but three bones - two ends of a tibia and a femur - were laid out.
Rare moa bones unearthed during Manawatū highway project Newshub 3 hrs ago
Workers on a Manawatū highway project have made a rare and historic find.
Moa bones were unearthed three weeks ago and are now being investigated at a Palmerston North Museum.
The construction workers digging through the Ruahine Range were paving the way for a new highway to replace the Manawatū Gorge - but instead, they unearthed ancient bones.
Lonnie Dalzell from Waka Kotahi says the experience was meaningful. It was interesting to see how the different workers reacted. It was quite a spiritual thing for some people, others were nervous because they thought it might have been koiwi [human remains] as well.