A pipi midden discovered in Tauranga could be hundreds of years old.
Middens are ancient rubbish sites that usually consist of a range of shellfish eaten and discarded by pre-European Maori.
The pipi is a type of shellfish that is usually found near the mouth of estuaries and harbours.
The pre-European waste dump was found by digger drivers working on realigning a slope at Oropi.
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Tauranga City Council network consultant Bryan Te Awa says very little information is known about the midden at this stage.
He says archaeologists believe its 400 to 500 years old and its likely there was a Maori settlement in the area.
Te Awa says archaeologists will liaise with the Historic Places Trust and local iwi in their investigation.
