Riddle of the skull: What was a white woman doing in New Zealand 100 years before Europeans settled

The discovery of a yellowing, cracked skull on a riverbank in New Zealand’s North Island had baffled scientists.

Their research has shown the skull belonged to a European woman who lived about 270 years ago – a century before the first known arrival of white settlers in the country.

Even an inquest into the woman’s death has failed to solve the mystery.

Coroner John Kershaw, sitting in the town of Masterton, 50 miles from Wellington, decided after hearing expert opinions at the inquest that the skull belonged to a European woman aged between 40 and 45.

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[edit on 5-8-2008 by calcoastseeker]

[edit on 5-8-2008 by calcoastseeker]