Poukai - Ancient Eagle The Maori people have legends of a "terror bird" which used to come out of the forest and carry off members of their tribe. This, and the fact that the Maori have a name for the bird probably indicate it died out less than 600 years ago. In addition to this, legendary explorer Charlie Douglas reports shooting something in the late 1800s which was probably a pair of eagles. The Pouakai (Harpagornis moorei), or Haast's Eagle was once the terror of New Zealand's skies. At 25kg, with a 3m wingspan, it used to be the largest flighted bird in the world attacking at speeds up to 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph). The prey of the Pouakai was the Moa, and it is believed that the Pouakai became extinct when the Moa did. Due to the forest habitat in which it lived, Pouakai developed short, broad wings to manouvre within the forest, and carry its incredibly heavy prey, some of which stood taller than 12 feet high. Unlike the moa, the harpagornis may have been wiped out deliberately: a large, fast bird of prey that specialized in hunting large bipeds may have been perceived as a threat by the early Maori settlers of the islands. (The Maori arrived in New Zealand only 1000 years ago.) In effect, all positions in the New Zealand animal ecology were occupied by birds. The moas filled a grazing niche occupied elsewhere by deer or cattle, and the harpagornis occupied the same niche as carnivorous hunters such as wolves, leopards or tigers. For this reason, they have sometimes been termed leopard eagles. Woody carved this Eagle because Pouakai used to be a part of the Maori life and it belongs inseparably to other sculptures in our garden. Carved by Mathew De Boer. Maui and the fishing trip Maui and the fire Hine Ahu One Raukata-uri and Raukata-mea Papatuanuku and Ranginui Paikea and the Whale Te Awatea He Waka Kehua Wahanui - Gateway Tuatara Abel Tasman Waka