Borrow-pits on the edge of terraces on the Waikato River near Tirau

The borrow-pits show as irregular depressions up to 20 m across, aligned along the edges of the terraces. On the hill above where the road cuts through the terraces, a pā shows (but not very clearly). On the furthest (righthand) extent of the terrace there is a ditch and bank, dog-legged in plan. The ditch was about 4 m across and it is likely to be a late pre-European or nineteenth-century fortification, exploiting an excellent tactical and strategic position on the terrace. The valley floor is now the bed of Lake Karapiro. The road is State Highway 1 where it leaves the Waikato River (flowing downstream from east to west) some 10 km from Tirau.