150-year-old neckerchief restored from shipwreck
A tattered neckerchief discovered inside a 153-year-old shipwreck on a West Auckland beach has been restored by heritage specialists.
The neckerchief was found on the Daring, a schooner uncovered by shifting sands at Muriwai Beach in May 2018.
As well as the ship being remarkably well-preserved, also found inside were a perfectly intact shoe, coins, a cup, clay pipes and multiple wine bottle caps dating back to the 19th century. Heritage Preservation and Field Support Solutions (HPFS Solutions) analysed the neckerchief and worked to restore it to its former glory.
Susanne Grieve Rawson specialises in object conservation and worked on the restoration of the neckerchief.
Rawson said she had been involved with the shipwreck since it was found and it was ‘‘fascinating’’ to watch the story unfold.
‘‘The neckerchief looked like a grey little curled up ball when I first saw it. I cleaned off the sediments, carefully unfolded it and gave it a wash and dry.’’
It was found the neckerchief was made of pure silk and featured detailed images which appeared to relate to the Freemasons organisation.
The Daring rescue group are now calling for anyone who may know the background of the images and what they mean.
Rawson said she was working on restoring some other small finds from the wreck, including what she believed was a woven straw hat. The wreck was found partially buried on the beach within the New Zealand Defence Force’s Kaipara Air Weapons Range. It was driven ashore by a severe gale in 1865.
The 17-metre-long schooner was a two-masted ship carrying a cargo of grass seed when it was driven on to the beach near South Head on the Kaipara Harbour. It had been built just two years earlier in Mangawhai.