Out for a Hunt at the local beach the weather was unbelievably hot so I wasn’t going to be at this particular spot for to long and was only expecting to find the usual amount of trash and the odd clad coin. I happened to stumble across a very good spot, targets for Africa. After about two hours I took a scoop out of the hole and waved my cool over the top, the signal was high it rang in at 29 to 32 my first thought was a 2c piece but much to my surprise it was what I thought to be a badge. After a few days researching and trying to find out what it was I stumbled across the belt buckle, (photo attached) Then kept digging for information un till I found some that suited the profile. I have attached what info I could find below: Between 1843 and 1845, 15 transports of Queen Victoria's 58th Rutlandshire Regiment of Foot, were ordered to New South Wales, Australia, as guards on convict ships. In April 1845, the main body of the Regiment was ordered to travel to New Zealand, and from Auckland, continue north to the Bay of Islands, where they took up assignments against Hone Heke and his followers. More reinforcements arrived with Lieutenant Colonel Robert Henry Wynyard, in June 1845. The Regiment took part in warfare in the Bay of Islands districts for 20 months, enduring heavy loss of life and witness to unspeakable horrors inflicted by the enemy. Although the Regiment, with assistance from friendly Maori, had quelled the ‘war', a need for vigilance was necessary, and after going back to Australia for nine months, they returned to Auckland and set up headquarters there, along with various ‘outposts' in the north. By the early 1850s, Mangawhai and the Kaipara were two of the northern districts to have detachments encamped in strategic positions. Richard Hall - New Zealand
