Moa bones on display at Pukaha

• Published date: 20 July 2022
• Publication title: West Coast Messenger, The

Visitors can view the moa bones for free in the Pukaha Visitor Centre. The centre is open 9am to 5pm seven days a week. To celebrate the occasion, a variety of moa books for adults and children, soft toys, puzzles and games can be purchased with all proceeds contributing to the conservation mahi (work) at Pukaha

The moa hakahaka (Euryapteryx curtus) or coastal moa bones have been loaned to Pukaha by a local man, who found them on a Wairarapa farm in the 1970s.

The bones on display are from both legs including the tibia, fibula and foot bones.

Pukaha National Wildlife Centre general manager Emily Court says: "We are so grateful to be able to display these beautiful bones, so everyone in the community can learn about our the natural history of our manu (birds)."

Moa hakahaka was one of the smallest of the moa and was a stout, short-legged bird with a broad, blunt bill. There were nine species of...