Moa Swamp
Pyramid Valley Moa Swamp
Around 4500 years ago, while Egyptian slaves were building the Great Pyramids at Giza and Europe was shifting from the Copper Age to the Bronze Age, the first Moa is believed to have wandered unknowingly into the Pyramid Valley swamp. Its legs would have quickly broken through the peat surface and the bird would have sunk deep into the jelly like deposits beneath, This Calcareous jellylike substance, while bringing about the doom of the bird, is also the reason the bones are so well preserved. It is almost completely devoid of oxygen and therefore the organisms which bring about decay. It also contains a large proportion of limestone which by nature is an alkali therefore preventing acidic deterioration. All of these factors combine to make the Pyramid Valley Moa Swamp one of the most important scientific discoveries in New Zealand’s history.
Discovery
In 1938, while digging in the soft swamp to bury a dray horse, Joseph Hodgen and his son Rob unearthed three large bones. The bones were put in the farm’s woolshed and the work continued. Late that year the bones were seen by David Hope, an amateur naturalist, who realized that they were of an individual Moa skeleton. Knowing how rare an individual skeleton was and seeing the possibility that the swamp was full of them he took the bones to the museum.
Excavation
In February 1939 a party of 7 men, including David Hope, was dispatched from the Museum to further explore the site. They removed the horse and recovered the remaining bones of the first skeleton. Hope, however, had different ideas. After probing with a gun spear he quickly located what he claimed were 5 more deposits of bones. Shallow pits were dug in three of these spots and the individual skeleton of a Moa was found in each. Exploration continued at Pyramid Valley on a regular basis until 1941 when shortages due to the Second World War forced the discontinuation of field work. In 1947 an expedition was organized by Dr Robert Cushman Murphy. At the time Murphy was the head of the Department of Birds at The American Museum of Natural History. He remarked that the fossils were some of best preserved remains he had seen in his career. Up until this time the excavations were controlled by the Canterbury University. In 1949 this responsibility shifted to the Canterbury Museum. Ron Scarlett and Jim Eyles, working for the Museum, continued to excavate in 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1963, 1965, 1973 and lately in 2009. In total, 183 more or less complete Moa skeletons from 5 different species have been recovered along with bones from 41 other bird species, including the Harpagornis Eagle.
Pyramid Valley
Pyramid Valley Moa Swamp is 10 minutes drive from Waikari and approximately 1 hour drive from the north of Christchurch. It is named after the spectacular Limestone outcrops which line the eastern side of the valley. Since 1983 a Queen Elizabeth II National Trust covenant has protected the Pyramid Valley Swamp. This covenant was negotiated at the request of the landowners with the aim to protect it for future generations.
The swamp is only open to the public on special request.