'Maori Wars'- New Zeeland Fauna and Geography

[Atheling]

Hi,

With the release of the new Empress models I'm looking to start to put together a demo game with the 68th Regiment of Foot (soon to be amalgamated into the Durham Light Infantry) attacking at Gate Pa.

i'm certainly not an expert on the type of fauna and geographical features that were around at the time, in fact, I know almost nothing about it. I wonder if anyone out there in Lead Adventure Land could help me out, hopefully with some pics if at all possible?

It really would be a great help if anyone out there has any ideas.

Any help/guidance would be very much appreciated.

Darrell.

[Arteis]

There are several articles on New Zealand flora (not fauna, though!) on my 'Dressing the Lines' blog, which you can access from various links on this page:

http://arteis.wordpress.com/category/periods/colonial-new-zealand-wars/

Here's a couple of sample pics from one of the articles about making NZ trees:

[Atheling]

Ah! This is great a more than I was hoping for (title corrected  )

Having said that, I'm still very much open to hearing/seeing what other folk have to say on the subject.

Thanks,
Darrell.

[carlos marighela]

Fauna? Think flightless and on the whole rather daft and defenceless.

Kiwi: Looks like a brown feathered peanut with a long, slightly curved beak. Shouldn't be beyond anyone's ability with a bit of milliput and a scribing tool.

Kea. Brown parrot with a hooked beak. Allegedly the smartest creature in New Zealand, adept at slashing car tyres with it's sharp claws and beak. Apparently this is still considered the essence of a good night out in Dunedin.

Kakapo. Could be the exception that proves the rule to Darwin's theory. Fat, fluffy, flightless bright green parrot almost extinct but probably a few more in 1840, before the rat population went wild.

New Zealand's native bird population has in recent years become a working model for the Royal New Zealand Airforce. Mostly flightless.  

[Atheling]

Fauna? Think flightless and on the whole rather daft and defenceless.

Yeah, sorry about that  .

Darrell.

[oxiana]

Kakapo. Could be the exception that proves the rule to Darwin's theory. Fat, fluffy, flightless bright green parrot almost extinct but probably a few more in 1840, before the rat population went wild.

Not wanting to derail the thread, but I've never heard that – what's special about the Kakapo that threatens evolution? Genuinely curious. (Also, ex-zoology student!)

[carlos marighela]

Just a joke on my part, that a fat, fluffy bright green bird that waddles through the forest could survive is a miracle. Of course pre European introduced species like stoats, foxes and rats about the only threat it had to contend with were the Maori. The population now is tiny, they exist only on a small island off the coast that has been thorougly cleansed of predators. Apparently they are making something of a comeback and there are future plans to reintroduce them to the mainland.

There was a nice little doco with Stephen Fry on the remaining population.