The following is taken from my draft instruction sheet for the index mentioned above. I have included some reference material. Those highlighted in bold would be of most value to your research:
"Following the disastrous defeat of colonial forces at Te Ngutu o te Manu in September 1868 and the subsequent advance of Titokowaru’s forces into the southern Taranaki, the New Zealand Government responded by sending Captain STACK to Melbourne with a brief to recruit 200 men for service in the Armed Constabulary. During December 1868 and January 1869 newly-attested recruits were dispatched to Wellington on board commercial steamers plying the regular Melbourne-New Zealand route.
The
Gothenburg was the fourth ship to transport a draft of Armed Constabulary recruits from Melbourne. The vessels in order of departure were:
Alhambra - Departed Melbourne 9 December 1868 with 99 recruits, (plus another 30 recruited at Hokitika) via Hokitika, Greymouth and Nelson, arrived Wellington 18 December 1868.
Otago- Departed Hobson’s Bay 12 December 1868 for Wellington via Bluff, Port Chalmers and Lyttelton with passengers with 41 recruits, arrived Wellington 24 December 1868. Recruits taken on to Wanganui by ss
Wanganui.
Rangitoto - Departed 19 December 1868 for Wellington via Hokitika and Greymouth with passengers and 30 recruits. Arrived Wellington 27 December 1868.
Gothenburg - Departed 26 December 1868 for Wellington via Bluff, Port Chalmers and Lyttelton with passengers and 19 recruits. Arrived Wellington 6 January 1869.
Omeo - Departed Melbourne 5 January 1869 for Wellington via Bluff, Port Chalmers and Lyttelton with passengers and 16 recruits. Arrived Wellington 17 January 1869. Recruits taken on to Napier by the
Sturt."
Further reading:
Belich, J. (1993).
I shall not die. Titokowaru’s war. New Zealand 1868-1869. Bridget William Books.
Glen, F. (2011).
Australians at war in New Zealand. Willsonscott Publishing.
Hopkins-Weise, J.E. (2007). Blood Brothers: The ANZAC Genesis. Penguin. Hughes, H. & Hughes, L. (1988).
Discharged in New Zealand. Soldiers of the Imperial Foot Regiments who took their discharge in New Zealand 1840-1870. New Zealand Society of Genealogists. Book and CD-ROM.
Knight, I. (2013).
The New Zealand Wars 1820-72. Osprey Publishing. Includes colour plates of uniform.
Maxwell, P. (2000).
Frontier. The Battle for the North Island of New Zealand 1860-1872. Celebrity Books.
Nominal and descriptive rolls, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Waikato Regiments, 1863-1867/ [compiled by] Jeni Palmer.
Ryan, T. & Parham, B. (2002).
The Colonial New Zealand Wars. 2nd ed. Grantham House.
Stowers, R. (1996).
Forest Rangers. Richard Stowers.
Stowers, R. (2010).
New Zealand Medal to Colonials. 10th ed. Richard Stowers.
Cambridge Museum. Armed Constabulary Act.
http://cambridgemuseum.org.nz/armed-constabulary-act/Cambridge Museum. Cambridge People. Biographies.
http://cambridgemuseum.org.nz/cambridge-people/biographies/Early New Zealand Books.
http://www.enzb.auckland.ac.nz/New Zealand Militia, Volunteers and Armed Constabulary 1863–1871.
http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/dbtw-wpd/armedconstab/armedconstabulary.htmlNominal & Descriptive Roll of the Melbourne Contingent Taranaki Military Settlers.
http://www.nzpictures.co.nz/pandoraresearchANZ-AD31-8-8-2.pdfPapers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/Passengers in History
http://passengersinhistory.sa.gov.au/McLellan, J.M. (2017). Soldiers & Colonists. Imperial Soldiers as Settlers in Nineteenth-Century New Zealand. http://researcharchive.vuw.ac.nz/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10063/6740/thesis_access.pdfSoldiers of Empire. Garrison & Empire in the 19th Century.http://www.soldiersofempire.nz/