What Lies Beneath

The Boxing Day tsunami had many of us wondering 'could it happen here?' Geologists and archaeologists argue that it already has. Tonight they uncover evidence waves several times bigger than those that hit Sri Lanka may have wreaked havoc on coastal Maori settlements hundreds of years ago.

Swamps and wetlands can be places of mystery, dense and forbidding. But these hidden corners can be treasure troves for archaeologists. Join Simon Dallow on an archaeological exploration deep into a Bay of Plenty swamp cloaked in mystery - a catastrophic moment frozen in time, that provides a rare window into 17th century Aotearoa.

Under Auckland's Bastion Point lies a labyrinth of tunnels built in the 1880s as part of the city's defences. It's also the last resting place of one of New Zealand's most revered Prime Ministers - or is it? Join Simon Dallow as he explores beneath Bastion Point in an effort to solve the mystery of the final resting place of a Prime Minister.

In the late 1800's thousands of Chinese gold seekers were lured to our shores, by the promise of easy pickings in the desolate claims of Central Otago. But today, there are very few physical signs of these pioneers and often it falls to archaeologists to uncover evidence that they were here at all. Join Simon Dallow as he delves into the mystery of the Missing Miners.

At the mouth of the Buller River, archaeologist Richard Walter is excavating a site that dates from the archaic period of New Zealand's human history. This is a time when the artefacts they find still represent a Polynesian culture. The remarkable array of unearthed adzes and fishing lures suggest these early Coasters already knew much about the resources available to them in this newly settled land.

Construction of Wellington's controversial Inner City Bypass will destroy an historic part of Te Aro. But first, the largest urban archaeology project ever undertaken in New Zealand will record and preserve as much of the past as possible. Join host Simon Dallow as he gets a rare glimpse of nineteenth century working class life.

Simon Dallow joins a team of archaeologists who have converged on one of the best preserved whaling stations from the 1830's whaling boom. Beneath the sand and driftwood they have unearthed several trypot stations where the blubber was rendered down. It provides a remarkable picture of the harsh life endured in one of our first truly integrated communities.