Now Here's a Funny Story... (Wellington) Lower Hutt, North Island, New Zealand
By zboy wonder on 21-Jan-18. Waypoint GC7HE4F

I am regretfully archiving this cache since there's been no response from nor action by the cache owner within the time frame requested in the last reviewer note.

Hi zboy wonder

This geocache was brought to my attention as being in need of an owner maintenance visit and after my previous reviewer note, there has been no owner response. The cache owner needs to check on this cache ASAP and either replace it or archive it, after picking up any geo-litter. See the [maintenance section of the Geocache Listing Requirements/Guidelines](http://www.geocaching.com/about/guidelines.aspx#listingmaintenance).

I've added this cache to my watchlist, and I will check back in four weeks to be sure that the maintenance has been done. In the meantime, I have temporarily disabled this listing. When the maintenance is completed, the owner can enable the listing by clicking on the link below the cache name to return it to active status.

Whatever your intentions, please **post a note** here on the cache page (not email) to let us know that you are still active and maintaining the cache. If a month passes without seeing a response, then I'll assume that this listing should be archived.

Please note, that if a cache is archived due to lack of owner maintenance, the cache is unable to be unarchived.

Regards
TheCoddiwompler

We had as good a look as all the gorse would allow. No sign of any coprosma. Not under the cottonwood either. No luck.

My grandson and I were out on a bike ride A great day with a southerly breeze making it a bit tough coming south but very nice going home
This is a sea of very healthy gorse Someone had snipped off some gorse in a spot my instrument took a liking to but I couldn't locate anything interesting there
Recommend this one for the archive bin

Definitely gorsed out it looks like …..so good luck if anyone more adventurous than us finds it

got within 3m but way too much gorse. great views.

Not risking my skin to get in to that!

Sorry but I like my skin on my body, not bush bashing gorse today

With no shrub of any size of the right genus in the vicinity I was not game enough for a blind swim in a sea of gorse.
I like having my skin attached to me

Bit of a sadistic cache. Know where it is, but didn't take bring a machete.

I’ve had too many close encounters with gorse and didn’t feel like heading off into another bush as my coordinates suggested- another time (not in shorts!)

Yes, it is a funny story and it appears I would have been the first to have found the "faux cache". I was a bit concerned when I arrived at this site because I didn't know what the hint object looked like and I couldn't see anything that looked different from gorse. However, I had no reason to think the coordinates would be anything other than accurate so I burst through a patch of gorse into an opening where I could see something promising. With a smile on my face, I was soon recording proof of my visit.

This cache gave me a reason to wander along this track which I otherwise wouldn't have done, so thank you for placing it here. Couldn't avoid all the gorse surrounding it, so got pretty spiked, but found cache exactly where it should've been. Cache all good. Tftc

Had to look up on Google what a Coprosma was - haha. Had no trouble finding it then.

Was out in the area chasing a FTF and I have being meaning to come back out here for quite some time as there are a few caches out here that I need to pick up, but I knew that my time was very limited on this trip so I decided that I would just limit my search and finds to a few caches on this visit.

After finding GC6FDX8 - Welly Climbs: South East (Wellington), I decided to check my phone and saw that there was one more cache along this path that I wanted to find today as it wasnt that far away I decided that I might as well go and pick it up.

It really didnt take long to make my way to GZ, well near it, I decided to read the hint and soon decided where to go and look for this cache and after a short search I soon spotted something and upon a closer look I soon spotted something and soon realised that it was the cache.

Managed to retrieve the cache, signed and then replaced the cache back where I found it. Thanks zboy wonder for placing this cache here and for bringing me to this spot, TFTC TNLNSL (14411). Glad to get another cache off my list of unfound caches, another great spot for another cache.

After taking a few more minutes to take some more photos and it was time to make my way back up the path and check out the lighthouse and get a few photos before picking up the courage to bike back to the car and a head wind, I cant complain as it wasnt too strong and I did manage to get back to the car safely even though I had to stop a couple of times ......

Disclaimer:
This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author.

Otherwise, what one says may be construed as being what the entire one believes, thinks or condones, and this may be very inaccurate and damaging, or just complete fiction......

#6863. I decided to make this another 4 day weekend by taking Friday off on annual leave. Had originally planned to come out here on Anzac Day but fog and drizzle in the morning put me off. Today dawned clear, sunny with lighter winds and with predicted warm weather which was the case as I was in a T-shirt all day long. Ashamed to say after 30 years living in Wellington I have never been to Pencarrow before. Made up for it today with a decent 16 km hike.

Ah yes. This story has probably been repeated a few times. I have found a few caches now where there are 2 containers present at GZ (one added by a person unable to locate the original). There was even a situation on a skindo puzzle cache that I located the original on the same day that another group couldn't locate it and they threw down a replacement. Most discouragingly rather than admit their own mistake after seeing my log, they suggested in their log that I had not actually found the original cache because they had looked so throroughly! Next time I go past that place I hope to relocate both these caches and take a photo of them... This one was a quick and easy find thanks to the lack of suitable alternate options. Suspect gorse will make access difficult here within a year. Signed the logbook and replaced the cache where found. Thanks zboy wonder for yet another cache in the Pencarrow area.

# 1485 I was sneaky today and took a sick day off of work...and what better way to celebrate not working, than by going on a big mission on your bike to pick up some caches. Being actually a little unwell, i was pretty happy about the fact that there was very little wind to be had, so it wasn't as hard as it was last time I was out here.

Haha can totally sympathise with the events of this cache - i almost made the same mistake and was about to call a DNF, when I thought, hang on, i dont actually know what that tree is supposed to look like...and then asked dr google..... a step that perhaps zboy should have taken

In any case, this particular cache was kinda cool in that it was a scrawny little comprosma in the middle of a sea of gorse... i hope it wins its battle. cheers zboy, all dry inside here.

After a brief deliberation with myself, I decided that Pencarrow Head would be my playground for the Saturday. It was an amazing day and I am surprised I did not get sunburn, as the unexpected intensity of the rays for this time of year caught me quite unprepared. A lovely area to explore and chill. What a story lol! I was glad I was wearing long pants though as the gorse is doing quite well up here! TFTC!!

Seeing that there was a favourable weather forecast it was time to have a bike ride out to Pencarrow Head and a tad further depending on how the body was standing up.

Loved the story.

Out: TB.

Cheers for the cache.

A good day for a bike ride out here. Looked for Right Whales on the way out. The Harbour and the South Coast was so calm that any Whales would have been easy to spot. Apparently they were at Petone a couple of days ago. TFTC

An appropriate cache name as our process of finding it turned out to be a funny story too.
We had been up at the Pencarrow Lighthouse and not realised this cache was here until we had headed down to Lake Kohangapiripiri and found a couple of caches there.
Rather than backtrack the way we had come Mr Coblet decided to take a shortcut straight up the hill, probably inspired by some mountain goats we had seen earlier.
It’s debatable whether this was a wise decision but Mrs Coblet decided to leave him to it and remained safely at ground level.
The climb turned out to be somewhat more difficult than expected and even though it ultimately turned out to be a shortcut it wasn’t necessarily a wise one.
But fortunately it resulted in a happy ending and the cache was located and signed as Mr Coblet sat down to catch his breath.
Thanks zboy wonder for an unexpectedly challenging but very rewarding hide.

I think I remember the cache referred to - I was a pre-2016 finder so must have found the original. Lots of gorse here today, not too many hiding places, so a quick find. TFTC.

As the CO of the Light over troubled waters cache that inspired this placement, I had to stop by and find this one to return the favour. At the time of zboy wonder's and tararua turtle's attempt on Light over troubled waters I was somewhat amused and bemused by the sequence of events. True, I mixed up a couple of placments made on the same day and used the wrong hint, but all sorted now.

So thanks for being good sports over the whole saga. While out this way today, I have paid a maintenance visist to the multi and verified that everything is in order, even if the cottonwood is looking a bit bedraggled these days.

TFTC.

#10,068. Interesting story. Returned to Pencarrow Head for another walk. GZ was all quiet during the visit. Quick find. The cache was in excellent condition, all nice and dry inside. Took nothing, left nothing, signed log.

Thanks for the placement and for bringing us to this site, and …

.T h a n k s. .f o r. .t h e. .c a c h e.
.M a u r u u r u. .k o e. .n u i. .a t u. .h o k i. .t e. .k e t e r o k i.

*****
Did you know that planning is well under way for a major Event in Wellington during Labour Day weekend in October 2018? Check out the details on the [GC78NMQ WENZ Event 2018 (Wellington)](https://coord.info/GC78NMQ) cache listing, [WENZ2018 website](https://sites.google.com/site/wenzgeo2018/home) or visit the event's page on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/groups/590545297801072/). If you plan to come, please remember to log a “Will Attend” on the [Event Log](https://www.geocaching.com/play/geocache/gc78nmq/log).
*****

Out biking around the heads with tmann421 today
Almost rode straight past this one in the excitement of biking down the track from the lighthouse. Had to backtrack a little way to find this one

Nice find while out with woolwood9 hunting some caches.
We enjoyed the ride around the coast today, although the wind was very strong.
Soon found the cache - hint item small but an easy find with good co-ords.
SL TFTC

Had the afternoon in Wellington to myself today and had always wanted to get out to the lighthouse at Pencarrow heads but had never got around to it. Today was the day to change that and after parking up near the bike rental place I headed to the light houses on foot. Grabbing a few caches on the way there and back of course. Spotted a few rabbits heaps of goats, a few oyster catchers and gulls and just as I came off the upper lighthouse track a pod of about 10-12 dolphins swam by right up close to the shore. Amazing. And the views from the upper lighthouse were fantastic.

GPS had me doing circles but got there in the end. Thanks for the cache.

All good here - hint object heck of a lot smaller than expected but coords spot on.

I was doing caches in a weird order and I was still halfway through the Troubled Waters multi (not yet knowing where the final was) when I decided to find this. I didn't much like the look of GZ for this cache and it took me a couple of minutes to realize where I should have been looking - not so bad after all. I was surprised to be only the second signer in the logbook after a week.

I think the story behind this cache just goes to show that making assumptions about something you can't find is not the best thing to do. Just log the DNF and call it a day. The CO should not be placing caches in an area they are not willing to maintain so this whole "community spirit" thing seems bogus to me. And certainly placing a throwdown and claiming a find seems disingenuous. At least this instance had a "happy" ending. Thanks for the story and the cache to commemorate it!

FTF at10:35 (perhaps this is shared with -gonefishing-'s virtual FTF mentioned on the cache page?). Murphy's Law rules - I had been along this way to maintain a cache of my own on this piece of coast just the day before this was published! However a great excuse for another enjoyable foray down this way. I had been eyeing the weather forecasts and it looked as if I would have relatively benign weather if I started reasonably early in the day. So I headed off on the bike from Burdan's Gate in fine weather with a tail wind of about 25km/h. Effortless riding and I was at the track turnoff to Lake Kohangapiripiri about 20 minutes later. A few black swans on the lake and a moderately strong wind blowing down it - from the smell I would say there is a bit of an algal bloom happening there. Left the bike and walked the last few hundred metres to get the new "Lake Kohangapiripiri" cache, then came on up the hill to get this one. A quick find with good accurate coordinates - fortunately the hint item, although smaller than I expected, was the only one of its type in the immediate vicinity so the find was easy. And this time the plant description is correct! Relaxed for a bit, posted a couple of interim logs, and enjoyed the views before leaving, and then returned to the bike the way I had come. Unfortunately the Met Service were wrong yet again with their forecast and the wind speed had picked up very dramatically. This made for an "interesting" trip back to Burdan's Gate, I had to push the bike about half of the way and was subjected to intense dust blasting around the points where it was more exposed. I was usually able to ride in the bays but it still took me close to an hour and a half to get back to the vehicle! Met Mr-Mcgoo on the way back and stopped for a brief chat, hopefully he didn't get too wet when the rain came. He knew I had been here but had decided to come anyway for the walk. Good to catch up again! Managed to get back home and wash the salt and sand off the car before the really heavy rains started. So all good. Signed log, thanks for the cache and for giving me the excuse to come this way again. Very enjoyable despite the dramas on the return leg!

Published