Archaeology students from the University of Auckland have uncovered early remains of human settlement on Ahuahu – Great Mercury Island.

The group of 25, including 12 students from the University's Field Methods in Archaeology paper, travelled to the island last month as part of their Stage Three course work.

The discovery of a human settlement in Coralie Bay on Ahuahu - Great Mercury Island by Auckland University archeology students recently is estimated to be over 600 years old. Photo: Ben Rogers

They spent three gruelling weeks on the eastern side of the island excavating a 15m x 10m area of an ancient sand dune area in Coralie Bay.

But Professor Simon Holdaway says the work was worth it as the group uncovered 13,000 objects, including stone artifacts and bones.

One of the most significant discoveries was the finding of moa remains in the remnants of an ancient oven.

'We excavated a big area and we uncovered some just amazing material,” says Simon. 'A site that's almost certainly very early because it's got moa bones in place in ovens.”

'The significance is that the moa must have been alive shortly before they ate it.”

It's not uncommon to find moa bones being used as tools and for industrial purposes, but signs of the bird being prepared and eaten, particularly in the North Island, are rare.

Based on this discovery Simon believes the site must be over 600 years old.

The discovery also indicates it must be a very early site in New Zealand's history, not just for the North Island but for the whole country.

Also found in significant quantities was obsidian which doesn't originate on the island and therefore must have been brought in by the people inhabiting Ahuahu - Great Mercury, likely from nearby Tuuhua - Mayor Island.

A blade made out of obsidian was even found still stuck inside the shoulder and flipper of a seal.

The fact the islands have not had a breeding population of seals for 600 years was also an indication of how old the site must be.

There were also signs that the site was not a brief stop-over as there were lines of stone with burnt-out wood suggest a dwelling was located there.

Simon says the next visit to the island will be in June where the team will evacuate another part of Coralie Bay that is also eroding.

The work is being supported by local iwi, Ngaati Hei, and the island owners Sir Michael Fay and David Richwhite.

Great Mercury is part of The Mercury Islands, a group of seven islands off the northeast coast of the North Island.

They are located eight kilometres off the coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, and 35km northeast of the town of Whitianga.

An earlier archaeological dig between Coralie Bay and Mercury Cove. Photo: Supplied