Tamil bell

It was reportedly being used as a pot to boil potatoes by Māori women near Whangārei in the Northland Region of New Zealand.

Its presence in New Zealand, at a time when there was no trade between Māori and any part of Asia, means it can be considered an out-of-place artifact.

He recognized the object as part of a ship's bell, and traded a cast iron pot for it.

It remains today in Te Papa's collection, though it has been loaned out for research and was displayed in the Indian Heritage Centre in Singapore.

[3] Colenso wrote of the bell in 1865, "It is believed that this ancient relic may yet prove to be an important witness... Its tale has yet to be told.

"[3] The most recent significant research on the bell was by Nalina Gopal, a museum curator from Singapore's Indian Heritage Centre.

[2] It is known that Tamil traders sailed as far as the southern tip of Madagascar and to what is today Indonesia, but there is no record of them reaching New Zealand.

Bell with its inscription and translation
Bell from a different source