Megaliths abound

NZ unveils Stonehenge replica

By Kim Griggs Wellington, New Zealand

Nestled into the verdant hills of the New Zealand region of the Wairarapa is the world's newest "Stonehenge" but this henge is no mere pastiche.

Instead, Stonehenge Aotearoa, which opened this weekend, is a full-scale adaptation of its Salisbury Plain ancestor, built to work for the Antipodes.

The aim of the Kiwi Stonehenge is to help people rediscover the basics of astronomy.

"You can read as much as you like in a book how the sun and the moon work, how people use stars to navigate by, or to foretell the seasons," says Richard Hall, president of the Phoenix Astronomical Society which built the henge.

"You stand here amongst the henge and you show people exactly how it works. Somehow it simplifies it and it becomes that much more easy to understand," he said.
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One advantage of the New Zealand henge, says Geoff Austin, professor of geophysics at the University of Auckland and head of the New Zealand Institute of Physics, is that visitors are able to explore the structure in depth.

"The original is rather difficult to understand and nowadays one is not even allowed to walk near it so this one is much more hands on," he explained.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4264945.stm

I've always loved megaliths. If only most of what I do for work was this interesting... New England has its own megalithic mystery site. If you've never visited America's Stonehenge (http://www.stonehengeusa.com) in Salem, New Hampshire, it's worth a visit if you're in the area. I have been there twice over the years. A lot of archaeologists seem to dismiss this kind of thing, but I think it's fascinating.

This past weekend I was cleaning up our property, and had the experience of moving a stack of several hundred pounds of 2" thick slate. Using an elaborate system of fulcrums, I was able to move a large slab about 4 feet - it only took about 20 minutes! ;p After this, I have a new appreciation for individuals who were able to move massive blocks of stone. One of the most amazing sites I've ever been to is Sacsayhuaman (http://www.world-mysteries.com/mpl_9.htm) in Peru. Visiting this type of archaeological site was, for me, a very humbling experience.

And just so the locals here in the Poconos don't feel left out, we have our own modern megalithic site - http://www.columcille.org/. One of these days it may merit a road trip...