Katharine

I’ve told the story about deciding I wanted to be an archaeologist when I was 13 more times than I care to remember. Exactly why I made this decision, I’m not so sure – perhaps it was the hours spent pouring over my grandparents’ extensive collection of National Geographics, with stories of South American temples, Marco Polo and discovery and adventure. Like many of the people here, I was drawn not to New Zealand archaeology, but to the archaeology of the Middle East, and particularly the origins of agriculture (no doubt because I grew up on a farm). Nowadays, though, it’s the archaeology of Canterbury that fascinates me, whether Māori or Pākehā. I feel incredibly lucky to have been involved in so much archaeology here, and to have been able to share so much of it. I’m fascinated by archaeology’s ability to connect with specific individuals from the past, the decisions they made, the world and houses they lived in, the artefacts they used, and how all that relates to who we are today. And I love that I get to solve mysteries, and delve deep into archives, and roam around the hills and in the bush. It's pretty fun, really.