Auckland Museum is safekeeping the future of Maori tool-making by teaching the methods to children.
Waatea News reports 35 children attended a session on Maori archaeology at the museum during the school holidays involving the tuwiri - a traditional pump drill.
Programme coordinator and archaeologist Ma'ara Maeva says the drill was made from a type of quartz called "chert" and attached to a shaft using a cord at one end manoeuvred to drill holes in rock and bone.
He says the workshop on the tuwiri was one of a number aimed at teaching children traditional archaeology methods in a fun and creative way during the school holidays.
