Friday 26 July 2019

New Zealand Wars Game

Today’s third game in our wargames week was a New Zealand Wars game based around the Flagstaff War of 1845. For historical information of this action details can be found here.

I commanded the British military and naval forces at Korerareka predating to defend against an expected attack. Rather than describe the action, here are a series of images.




















The game ended early and while the next game was being set up we sat on the deck in the sun with a scotch or two (or three) and admired the view over the lake.


20 comments:

  1. Beautiful game and beautiful scenery. This is a conflict to which I have no knowledge.

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    1. Thanks Jonathan. The game organizer is a real enthusiast.

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  2. Impressive table. Love the naval cannon on trucks.

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    1. Yes the troops were pretty much all Empress Miniatures and you are right that gun is great. None of the figures are mine though.

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  3. Excellent familiar with that battle, even made a hex/counter version of it many years ago. Looks fabulous!

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  4. And so did they get to cut down the flagpole and sack the town or not?? :)

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    1. They certainly did. I though I had taken a picture of the felled flagpole, but alas it was not so.

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  5. Another great looking game...
    It’s good to see relatively unknown subjects being gamed...

    All the best. Aly

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    1. Yes he did a great job on the terrain and the town was relatively close to the layout of the time. Of course the defiant act of felling the flagstaff is well know in this neck of the woods and was the precursor of the Northern War of 1845.

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  6. I remember reading about this years ago, and Hone Heke. A lovely rendition on the tabletop.

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    1. Most of my school holidays before I was 15 were spent in the Bay of Islands and I must have been to Russell 30 or 40 times, but have never gone up Flagstaff Hill.

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    2. Nor me. I have been to the pub there a few times though.

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    3. I bet a significant percentage of Aucklanders have spent some time in that pub! I remember a very rowdy night there once with the All Blacks playing the French.

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  7. The Brits got a real pasting....just like real life...but at least the local magistrate managed to get his wife and daughter safe away to HMS Hazard!

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    1. I managed to get some of my force away, but left behind the big gun.

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  8. Oh, I'm so jealous - lovely looking game of one of my favourite periods, played in a gorgeous setting!

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    1. Yes it was an interesting game. I am at pains to point out that none of the figures are mine, although I must admit that the Empress figures are magnificent. It would be nice if they would do some for the Waikato War.

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  9. Hi Mark, nice work. I'm doing research on the NZ Wars for a 45 minute talk (impossible task) and came acroos your "Whares" which were attacked at Rangiaowhia on Feb 17, 1864. I was looking for any images of a Whare village. There's plenty around but your models were intriguing. Thank you.
    Kind regards
    Tony van Maanenberg

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    1. Thank you Tony. The models were based on a number of historical photographs as well as a number of visits to the Auckland War Memorial Museum, that has a superb selection of life size early NZ structures.

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