Traces of city’s first building discovered in New Zealand

Excavations in Blenheim, New Zealand’s South Island, revealed the remains of the first building, a gin palace and general store. Excavations at the site unearthed some artefacts dated to the period of the area’s colonial-era development.

Artefacts found at the site (by Scott Hammond)

Archaeologists conducting excavations prior to the construction of a Riverside Park, unearthed the burned piles which are thought to be the foundations of the first building of the city, built in 1849. The remains are believed to have been once a store run by James Wynen. The store is said to have been rebuilt after it burned down, and there was no record of any other fires on the site, which led the researchers to the confident conclusion.The burned piles area believed to have been composed of totora plants, beside which thousands of metal bands were discovered, believed to once hold seed sacks closed. Other finds consist of a leg of a child’s doll, a blue enamel cup and and various fragments of pottery and glass.

(after Scott Hammond & Stuff)

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