Thirteen large moa footprints, estimated to be one million years old, have been discovered on a Kaipara beach in Northland.
Palaeontologist Dr. Bruce Hayward and geoscience communicator Julian Thomson stumbled upon the footprints while filming an educational video about similar findings from 2022.
The rare fossilised imprints, found on a sandstone rock that had fallen from a cliff, are the second oldest ever found and the 14th discovered in 150 years.
The footprints’ preservation is temporary, as they are expected to be washed away within two weeks unless local iwi can retrieve the soft rock. A 3D impression by palaeontologist Dr. Daniel Thomas estimated the moa to be of medium size, about 1.5 metres tall. The footprints, likely preserved by dry sand blowing over wet sand, offer a glimpse into the ancient bird’s behavior. Moa, once endemic to New Zealand, became extinct within 100 years of human settlement due to over-hunting.
