Maori history has engaged Knight’s interest as much as European, and our impromptu history lesson ranged widely over centuries and cultures. “The peak of Polynesian occupation of the peninsula was probably the 15th century,” he told me in a quiet, slightly patrician voice. “Moa were an important part of their diet. Thou­sands of moa bones have been found on some of the flats. Fish, shellfish, seabirds and cabbage tree roots were also important. Maori excavated special ovens to steam the starchy roots, and there are dozens of these pits around.”