Alice Mackenzie (author) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alice Mackenzie
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| Born | 1873 |
| Died | 1963 (aged 89–90) |
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Known for | Author of The Pioneers of Martins Bay |
Alice Mackenzie (born McKenzie) lived from 1873 to 1963. She was a writer, settler, and poet from New Zealand. She is famous for her book, The Pioneers of Martins Bay. This book tells about her childhood in the 1870s and 1880s at Martins Bay, New Zealand. She also wrote about seeing a Moa, a huge bird that is now extinct.
Alice's Book: The Pioneers of Martins Bay
The Pioneers of Martins Bay is a history book written by Alice Mackenzie. It describes what her life was like when she was young. She lived in a place called Martins Bay during the 1870s and 1880s.
When Alice was a child, her family moved often. They first moved from Hokitika to Jackson Bay / Okahu. After that, they went to a town called Jamestown near Lake McKerrow / Whakatipu Waitai.
Jamestown did not become a successful town. So, the McKenzie family moved again, this time to Martins Bay. Life there was very hard and lonely. Alice grew up in these isolated conditions. Later, she wrote her book about these experiences.
The book was first printed in 1947. A new version was published by Alice herself in 1952.
Did Alice See a Moa?
Alice grew up in Martins Bay, which was a very remote place in New Zealand. Today, this area is part of Fiordland National Park.
In 1880, when Alice was eight years old, she saw a very large bird. For many years, she thought it was a Takahē. But in the 1940s, the Takahē bird was rediscovered. When Alice saw what a Takahē looked like, she knew her bird was different.
Scientists talked to Alice about what she saw. She even looked at the feet of both Takahē and Moa birds. After many years of study, they thought she had seen a young Moa. They believed it was about three years old, based on the size of its footprint.
Alice described her amazing encounter: "It was lying on the sand, sunning itself. I got nearer and nearer until I sat down on the sand behind it. I remember stroking its back. It had no tail."
"It just lay there, it was quite quiet. So I put my hand underneath it and drew out one of its legs. It took no notice of me. I started to tie some flax around it. I thought I'd tie it up."
"Then it got up and made a harsh, grunting cry and bit at me. And I ran as hard as I could over the sandhills towards the sea. I thought if I went down to the sea it mightn't follow me into the water. I never looked behind. It never came very far with me."
"When I got home and told my father, he came to have a look. But the bird was gone when he came. He saw its tracks where it had followed me from the top of the sandhills. But it didn't go over them."
"He had a foot-rule in his pocket and he measured the tracks. From the heel to the middle toe was 11 inches."
Alice Mackenzie's story about seeing a Moa was featured in an article. It was called What Alice Saw by Don Long. This article was in a book called Connected 2013 level 2 - I Spy....
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Alice Mackenzie
