A military outpost was built at Pukearuhe in northern Taranaki during the wars of the 1860s, and in 1872 it was re-opened as an Armed Constabulary station. In this 1878 photo its men pose in their bush-fighting costume – a tartan blanket worn as a kilt. This was a style of dress learned during the land wars from their Māori opponents, as the most practical form of clothing in the bush. The Pukearuhe redoubt (fortified camp) remained open until 1885.
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Alexander Turnbull Library
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