New Zealand Archaeological Association Site Record Number Z17/185 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, or on ridge crests, in lines from end to end Pit site Z17/185 is located at Cook's Cove at the northern end of Titirangi Station. It is located in pasture, at the northern end of the ridge that descends from the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (NZHPT) Monument commemorating Captain Cook's visit to the Cove, to the coastal flats below. This 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 a raised rim pit at the very northern end of the ridge, measuring 2 metres x 4 metres x 0.4 metres (depth), and a 3 metre x 4 metre terrace further south. A sketch plan of the site also shows a round pit-like feature immediately south of the raised rim pit. Z17/185 was revisited by archaeologist Kate Hill in 1999 as part of the New Zealand Archaeological Association Site Recording Scheme Upgrade Project. Hill recorded that the site was in good condition, although the eastern end of the raised rim pit was considered to be in danger of collapse. Stock damage was also noted as a threat to the site. The raised rim pit was still clearly visible during a 2007 New Zealand Historic Places Trust site visit, with the northern face being the most-preserved. The small circular depression to the south of raised rim pit (as shown on Jones' 1982 sketch plan) was also observed. Z17/185 is one of numerous pit and pit/terrace sites recorded in the Tolaga Bay area, and is 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.