Jennie, I have nothing but admiration for the way pioneers coped in every country. I'm not a born Kiwi, I've only been here for the second half of my life. So far!
I was at the village only a couple weekends ago, a 'live' weekend. Interestingly, Howick was built on land that two Maori tribes held in dispute, and positively encouraged the 'Pakehas' to buy as a peacemaking move. Never actually needed the Fencibles.
For the uninitiated, the Fencibles were retired British servicemen who were assisted to settle with their families in the outskirts of towns to provide a soldierly reaction force in the event of Maori attack. Frightening people, some of those old Maoris. Tattoos and testosterone.