A military outpost was built at Pukearuhe in northern Taranaki during the wars of the 1860s, and in 1872 it was reopened as an Armed Constabulary station. In this 1878 photo its men pose in their bush-fighting costume – a tartan blanket worn as a kilt. The most practical form of clothing in the bush, this was a style of dress learned during the New Zealand wars from their Māori opponents. The Pukearuhe redoubt (fortified camp) was manned until 1885.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference:
1/2-022866-F
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
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