The remains of the Colonial Sugar Refinery Sugar Mill in Naitasiri have been dug up by residents in Vunivesi.
Latest remains of the Colonial Sugar Refinery have been found in the same area where last year an old steam locomotive was excavated.
Just a few meters away another major discovery has been made but this time it was much deeper, apparently foundations for part of the CSR Mill which operated there in 1882.
The objects proved to be very heavy metal, a real test for even powerful diggers.
These objects were discovered by a farmer some 4-6 feet beneath the surface at the spot which used to be the loading area for CSR.
The object unearthed is probably part of the machinery used to load cane on to the punts.
For the farmer there’s attraction to sell the metal for scrap.
However there’s also the question of preserving artefacts, something we are probably more aware of since CSR closed in 1959.
