New Zealand Archaeological Association Site Record Number Z17/194 is a pit site that forms part of the dense archaeological landscape of the Tolaga Bay (Uawa) area. It is located on Titirangi Station, to the southeast of the Tolaga Bay township. Pit sites and the many other recorded archaeological sites including pa, midden, gardens and urupa reflect the intensive Maori occupation of the Tolaga Bay from the time of initial Polynesian settlement approximately 700 years ago. Access to abundant food resources from the sea, rivers, inland forests and horticultural production (kumara) meant that a large population could be sustained. It has been estimated that the early Maori population of Tolaga Bay totalled approximately 1200; and the main iwi was Te Aitanga a Hauiti. Pit and pit/ terrace sites are very common in Tolaga Bay, and demonstrate the importance of horticulture to Tolaga Bay's earliest inhabitants. The Bay's fertile soils and temperate climate were well suited to kumara gardening, and the pits were used for storing harvested kumara over the winter months. Rectangular storage pits (which were once roofed with a layer of earth), are more prevalent than the underground storage pits found elsewhere in New Zealand, a pattern attributed to the harder substrate of the soil in this area. They are in fact the most common archaeological site type in Tolaga Bay, and are found along the river banks and on the rolling hills to the south of the Bay. They are generally located in clusters on knolls or terraces, as with this site - Z17/194, or on ridge crests, in lines from end to end. Pit site Z17/194 is located in pasture on a low knoll approximately 200 metres east of Shelton Road. An old stream gully and stock pond are located just to the south of the site, and Titirangi trig is located approximately 600 metres upslope to the west. A number of other archaeological sites are located in the vicinity, such as the pit complex (Z17/272) approximately 200 metres to the south. The site was first recorded by archaeologist Kevin Jones during his archaeological survey work in the Whangara, Tolaga Bay and Uawa Catchment areas in 1982-1983. This survey work was undertaken to gain information about the nature of prehistoric settlement in this locality, and also to evaluate specific sites for registration under the Historic Places Act 1980. Jones recorded the site from above (possibly from the Titirangi trig) and noted 'two large pits on knoll', with an adjacent cabbage tree. The pits measured 4 metres x 3 metres each. Z17/194 was revisited by archaeologist Vanessa Tanner in 2000 as part of the New Zealand Archaeological Association Site Recording Scheme Upgrade Project. Tanner observed a third vague pit at the northern end of knoll, measuring 5 metres x 2 metres, and recorded slightly larger measurements (4 metres x 2 metres and 5 metres x 2 metres) for the two pits recorded by Jones. Tanner also noted two large rocks at the northern end of the knoll. Overall, the site was found to be in average-good condition. The site was revisited by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust in November 2007, and no major changes were observed. The pits are still well-defined, and show clearly when viewed from above on the road leading to the summit of Titirangi. Z17/194 is one of the numerous pit and pit/terrace sites recorded in the Tolaga Bay area, and forms part of a dense archaeological and cultural landscape that is of considerable significance to Te Aitanga a Hauiti. This landscape reflects the intensive Maori occupation and settlement of the Tolaga Bay area since the 14th - 15th centuries AD, and the important role that horticulture played in this.