I made a Moa so I could make a hut and it’s cool showing a Moa in a hut because you are showing the ancient world and the humans together.
By Kahu, age 5.
Kāhu Brings Moa to Life and Shares his Den.
Kāhu was inspired by a KCC competition to create a life size version of his favourite native creature. He wanted to do a Moa. We took a long time to decide how to do it. So long in fact, that we didn’t complete it in time to enter the competition! Eventually he decided for practicality, because he wanted to keep his model, that he would do a baby Moa.
We’ve read a lot about Moa and have had many questions raised and answered about them. Kāhu has been inspired for a long time about the idea of bringing Moa back to life (as well as Dinosaurs… watch out). The Moa has helped Kāhu to explore his passion for conservation through his lament that they are extinct. He watches the Weka roam around on our lawn and thinks about how it would be if the Weka was extinct like the Moa and this inspires him to be a protector for native creatures.
To make the Moa, Mum and Dad had to help him build a wire frame on which to papier mache! This was a fun family challenge.
It was tricky to get the wire and paper to sit naturally like a Moa and Dad reckons he looks more like a flamingo, but Kāhu absolutely loves his Moa and painted him with love.
When the next KCC challenge came along to build an outdoor fort or cozy den to relax in we decided to see if it would work for Moa to share with Kahu in the project. So we combined both challenges together and designed something that Kahu, his brother Ahi and Moa could enjoy. We discovered that some species of Moa were likely to be at least partially nocturnal. So, there is a likelihood that they would have liked to bed down somewhere during the day at times.
We used some permaculture and environmental building principles for the build. First, we used what we could find very close by in the yard. We used the trees where they were, some pallets and second hand timber from other structures, and leaves for decoration and cozy nest bedding. We also wanted to have a structure that could be taken down again, so it had no permanent footprint, so Kahu banged the only peg into the ground to support the low wall. We built around the trees and plants and used them as part of the structure so they could stay there, and we made it look natural by decorating it with tree fern fronds. We celebrated with a homemade picnic and a little campfire to keep warm and cozy.
By Mum.
