The hunt is on for descendants of the Maori owners of a partly-made waka found in the Hutt River.
The adze-hewn piece of the submerged waka was found by contractors working at a Lower Hutt pumping station in 2006.
Culture and Heritage Ministry spokeswoman Liz Cotton says adze marks on the totara log 'roughout' suggest it pre-dates European arrival in the area.
Ms Cotton says the waka is being kept under controlled conditions to prevent it drying out.
She has had one response to her advertisement calling for owners.
It is understood this has come from the Wellington Tenths Trust.