Past uncovered on beach
Tītahi Bay’s fossil forest currently visible to beach-goers
Where moa once roamed through dense bush beneath rimu and tōtara trees, waves now lap upon the shores of Tītahi Bay beach.
But every now and then, beach-goers are offered a glimpse into this ‘‘echo of the past’’, says science communicator Julian Thomson of Out There Learning.
The remains of the now fossilised forest can be found all along the beach when the conditions are right. ‘‘It changes,’’ Thomson explained. ‘‘At Tītahi Bay sometimes you can’t even see a single tree stump because the tide and currents are washing the sand up over it.’’
He said many were currently visible at very low tide towards the northern end of the beach.
Believed to date back about 100,000 years, Thomson said the forest would likely have been similar to what could be found today at Zealandia in Karori including lots of rimu and tōtara trees, nikau and ferns.
‘‘It triggers our imagination into a time before humans were in Aotearoa New Zealand. Lets your imagination run wild a little bit.’’
Fossilised forests were the result of land changes, where sea levels had either risen and drowned a freshwater or landbased forest, or where land had subsided or been pushed below sea level by earthquakes.
The remains would have been buried by sediment, protecting them from breaking down, Thomson explained. Sea levels changes since then had seen what remained exposed again.
While there were many other examples of fossilised forests around the country, the Tītahi Bay example was special being easily accessed by those in the Wellington Region. As such it was important to protect it and for people to be aware it was there, Thomson said.
‘‘It’s important to preserve these things. They can’t come back. Driving around on it and perhaps damaging the tree stumps would be a shame.’’
Last month Porirua City Council announced a beach driving ban to help protect the beach.