T2 or Bust (Wairarapa) Dalefield, North Island, New Zealand
By GSEL on 20-Jan-18. Waypoint GC7HF5E

The cache title is right on point. It's certainly my main motivation for a long day walk. To that end, having more caches to find along the way is much appreciated. Most were hidden sensible to minimize DNF risk and that was certainly the case here. Most caches were also in great condition - this was one of them. TFTC.

*Catching up on some loooooong overdue logs*

A call was put out in our puzzling group that there was going to be a hike into Totara Flats to hunt down T-2, as it is one of the oldest caches in the North Island, therefore required for the challenge cache GC325CX Old School Challenge. The group of willing participants are myself, Itchyfeet2020, Matagouri, TwigNZ, and The Seagnoid, so we are signing logs as LIMiTS.

A great time had by all, and some great caching along the way.
Thanks for the cache.

Walking along this section we didn't get a chance to find the cache. Itchyfeet had it sorted in no time flat! My notes are interesting - I said a pile of rocks in a pile of rocks was unnatural, which is how Itchy found it. Which I could remember what it looked like!

At last - I have been wanting to do this trip since... since... well, since I was in nappies, probably. I have been up Holdsworth a number of times, and down to Totara Flats once, but never out the Waiohine gorge. So armed with the intent of finding T2, one of New Zealand's oldest caches, I set of with a bunch of geocaching friends after having dropped a car off at the Waiohine road end. It was grey and overcast, perfect tramping weather apart from a little drizzle, but we only really needed the raincoats once. Everything looks all fresh and new. Shiny and clean.

Log signed as Limits for LL113, Itchyfeet2020, Matagouri, TwigNZ and the Seagnoid. And yes, there were limits to our caching today. Today we decided to limit it to New Zealand!
Fourteen caches between Holdsworth road end to Totara Flats hut, and another fifteen tomorrow, between Totara Flats and the Waiohine road end.

The time has finally come for our much talked about T2 adventure - a very worthy objective. The plan was in from Holdsworth and out at Waiohine with Totara Flats Hut and all the lovely caches inbetween. Day 2 today and feeling a bit rough from the leg jarring ups and downs from yesterday. Left Totara Flats with renewed energy and optimism for a river walk. For the first bit we got what we expected and had a very pleasant walk alongside the river caching and then the track upped the effort level. Luvin every cache from here on in for giving the leg muscles a rest. Managed to get river side of the slip today - yah. A great name - we are very chuffed to have T2 rather than a bust. All logs signed as LIMITS for LL113, Itchyfeet2020, matagouri, TwigNZ and the Seagnoid. TFTC.

A group weekend in the eastern Tararuas, going from Holdsworth Lodge to the Waiohine campground via Gentle Annie Saddle and Totara Flats hut, with T-2 as our major target. The group includes LL113, Itchyfeet2020, myself, TwigNZ, and The Seagnoid, so we are signing logs as LIMiTS.
Heading out from Totara Flats. Found after a short hunt, looking through a number of potential spots. Slightly in awe of the big slip to the south, thankfully we don't have to climb above it. All good in container, tftc!

T2 (GC137) is currently the second oldest extant cache in the North Island, and as such is on the list of 10 oldest NI caches required to be found in order to qualify for GC325CX Old School Challenge - North Island. This means that I've wanted to do a tramp to find T2 for yonks, and this weekend it finally happened.

A group of 5 of us set off early on Saturday, leaving one car at the end of Waiohine Gorge Campsite and then driving to Holdsworth Campsite in the other car, to make our way from there to Totara Flats Hut for 1 night and then back out via the Waiohine Gorge. Those 5 are LL113, Itchyfeet2020, Matagouri, TwigNZ and the Seagnoid, and so we have signed all logs as LIMiTS.

After the heavy going of yesterday, I must admit that I was expecting a far gentler descent back to the Waiohine Campsite carpark. Little did I know that it would still be a decent amount of effort required to do it, but at the end we would all feel that we richly deserved to eat dinner in a pub to celebrate our efforts.

We obviously did this cache in the opposite direction to the CO, as we had already conquered T2 by the time we got here. A quick hunt had the cache in our hands, and then we were back on our way again getting ever so slightly slower as our legs began to feel the exertions of the last 24+ hours.

Thanks for setting this one up.

Found yesterday on route to Totara Flats Hut for the night. TFTC!

Loving the ferns and mosses, reminds me a little of the unique plants on Rangitoto Island (kidney ferns!)

Its been slow and steady progress, I grabbed the TB which was resting here, and luckily it did not take me too long to spot the cache.

A fun find with gorby on our way to T-2

Relentless, brutal, technical.... not a quick walk for us to the hut today

Rusty is ahead of me as we walk, making good progress, so she found this cache while I was catching up, all good here today GSEL Love this stream. Will eventually arrive at Totara hut.

"Mama always told me, start as you mean to go on". As we roll into a new year, what better way to start than a wee trek into the Tararua Ranges. Todays goal was all about the T2 cache, although I went a little further for another couple. The walk (in and out) was just over 25km and took me 8 hours and 16 minutes. 13 caches found, about half on the way in and the rest on the return, and now my legs don't work.

Got this one on the way in after getting a little confused by where the track was supposed to leave the river bed, I'm pretty sure I took the wrong way, but no worries. Took some time to find and there is an abundance of hint objects. TFTC

On a road trip with NZ Bozzy , Heading back down to Wellington with a couple more stops to make.

Main reason was to grab the North Island TMTG caches and some oldies. And also to celebrate a birthday with a 0

Main reason for a walk here today is the T2 cache but always enjoy a walk in the NZ bush. I was unaware of how pretty this area is
thanks for the cache and bringing us here today.
Sorry for all the copy and pastes

Travelling with Kiscardi we are heading to T2 a plan of mine this trip.
Thanks for placing cache on the way to give the walk a few breaks.
What a nice track to walk on. Up and down near the start some river side walking then the totara flats

On our way up to Totara Flats. Always reckon the flats are the best part of this trip. TFTC

Quick find before heading toward T2 and Totara Flats for the night. TFTC.

#11,850. Signed this log when it was placed by the cache owner, while on an enjoyable walk in the Tararua Forest Park together with barefootguru, CartertoniC, GSEL and wb1116. It was now time, while staying at home in the COVID-19 Alert Level 4 lock-down period, to log this online.

Keep safe everyone.

Thanks for the placement, and for the company, 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.

Found on a pleasant day trop to Totara Flat with fozzmiester. It's 10 years since I last made to trip to Totara Flat to find T-2 (and replace the original damaged container for the original CO). Just as with the previous trip, it took about 8 hours for the round trip, although quite a few more caches to find this time, and a side trip to Sayers Hut.
TFTC.

Found while out for a day walk to Totara Flat and back with -gonefishing-. This was a very enjoyable trip that I have had on my to do list for more than a few years. After an early morning departure from home and a second breakfast at Greytown we left the carpark at 0815hrs. We made good time and picking up caches along the way got as far as T2000 before heading back to Sayers hut for a lunch break. From there it was back to the carpark where we arrived at 1615hrs. A longish and tiring day in the heat but well worth the effort.
TFTC

Soon spotted the spot so a quick sign of the log and catch up to our party . Thanks

Straight forward find while wandering up the river. Cache all good. Tftc

Getting close to our campsite now. Can't wait to put up the tent and go for a swim in the river! TFTC

We leave Castle point in the morning for Featherston. Objective of the day: Hiking in Waiohine valleya with the old geocache GC137 as the final.
What an adventure, what a weather and what a happiness!

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Thanks GSEL for the geocache [^]
Greetings from Belgium,
Frank et Muriel travelling in New Zealand

Happy geocaching

Had to divert out of the river, but well worth it. TFTC.

I was with CO one year and one day ago when placed. Found today as passing GZ. Quick find where all good at GZ.

Quick find with GGMasterton on our way to Totara Flats for the night. tftc

Quick find with mumandme on our tramp to Totara Flats.

Grabbed on the way out from Totara Flats Hut .... we missed a few on the way in yesterday, either because of muggles or just wanting to walk on and not stop too often. TFTC

Yesterday sveppi and I walked past this cache. There were too many caches on the track and we were a bit tired of breaking our rhythm to look for one. Today I nearly walked past it too, although unintentionally. It's very close to the last cache I found and I had not reset the GPS to find the next one. As I looked it pointed 15m behind me, so I backtracked quickly to grab it. Looks like we will grab the rest of them today, so I guess it would be silly to only leave one behind...

Log nice and dry,tftc

TFTC - GPS didn't want o play nice here at all, so found this one by Trial and Error with PTS on the way to T2.

We got to T-2! And now for the long slog back, with frequent pauses on this easier stretch of track to find the caches we had bypassed on the way up.

Doing a walk to Totara Flats hut for the night and pick up GC137 T - 2 the 7th oldest active cache in New Zealand on the way. This cache name is starting to feel like my thoughts at the moment. I have been at the Mega and spent 3 nights in a little tent with very little sleep. I had topped my water up at the stream. Cache soon found and signed.

Doing a walk to Totara Flats hut for the night and pick up GC137 T - 2 the 7th oldest active cache in New Zealand on the way. This cache name is starting to feel like my thoughts at the moment. I have been at the Mega and spent 3 nights in a little tent with very little sleep. I had topped my water up at the stream. Cache soon found and signed.

Mrs Rattll and Mrs Watcache decided on a weekend away without the boys, so a plan was hatched to do this track since Mrs Rattll had had the T-2 cache on her list of must get geocaches for quite some time.
However the predicted weather forecast wasn't very good so it had seemed unlikely that the trip would go ahead. But, as the week progressed, the forecast got better and better and a last minute decision was made on Friday to go for it, so a mad scramble to get everything together followed.
Mr Rattll drove us to the Waiohine Gorge entrance Saturday morning, and we set off about 10 a.m, with the weather proving to be only a little over cast all day, which was perfect for walking.
The name says it all really, as the T-2 was my target, and we were getting ever closer. Not quite ready to bust yet though!
I left an alphabet stone - the letter L
Thanks for setting up this cache GSEL

When Mrs Rattll asked if I wanted to do the walk to T2 cache I didn't know where she meant but once I investated it it was an area I had tramped before so I was keen to go as I wasn't caching back then so of course ya have to again with caches to get especially when a FTF could be up for grabbed further down the track. Mr Rattll drove us to the start. The weather was not looking good for us at the beginning of the week but as the week progressed it was improving, I rang Doc and he said to go for it its going to be fine weather for tramping the rivers are low so no worries about the slip you'll be able to walk the river. We headed off for the first cache at about 10am crossed our first swing bridge got the first cache of the day then headed onto cache number 2 it was a bit of a walk down the track, then cache number 3 was in our sites wondering what we were looking for due to the name, but once we got closer it was obvious we had reached ground zero. then it was onto cache number 4. this was cache number 5 for us I dont know why but I thought this one was on the slip but no we were lucky enough to get it, now onto cache number 6 for the day another good find. then a pleasant walk further along to find this cache number 7 it was a very quick find yay some havnt been so fast. Cache number 8 for the day thank you for placing this cache here it has to get a favorite as it brought us all the way into this area. cache all is good here.

Decided to go somewhere special for the weekend so a trip to Totara Flats to get T-2 was planned. After a very early start to catch the plane this morning it was beginning to fell like a long day, but another cache closer to the goal. TFTC

Went for a pleasant day tramp with CartertoniC to Totara Flats Hut and back. The GPSr was telling me I was still 14 metres away from the cache when I spied something a little suspicious alongside the track, and a few seconds later I had the cache in hand. Signed log, TFTC

Back on track, this time with agcnz, tempted last week by the 4 FTFs published a month ago and still going begging. Perhaps unfortunately (for us anyway), the FTFs were snapped up just 2 days ago by Hinemoana although even knowing that, it wasn't enough to divert us from making the journey up the Gorge Track today.
Although I was in the 'Party of 5' on 20 January when this was placed, I didn't sign the log sheet at that time (pre-publication), and tried to avoid seeing the actual hide, preferring to leave that for a discrete search-and-log expedition, which was today, a 4 hour walk to Totara Flats hut with about 10 rest stops (to sign caches) along the way in.
This cache marks the beginning of an easy hour's walk across the grassy flats to the hut (or the end of it coming back). This is the other end of one of my favourite parts of the track - the river and valley views along here are just magic. TFTC.

I knew I had to revisit the area, and cheap flights came up - so I was off for the weekend! The timing meant that I would need to stay at the hut rather than do it as a day trip at the last occasion, so even better. This one took quite a bit to locate as I was in the wrong spot - until I decided to backtrack away from the water! I was not going to give up with the view of an FTF of course!!! TFTC!!

Published

Not FTF. With a 12 hour walk I think we did both T-2 *and* bust This was 1 of the new caches our group of CartertoniC, GSEL, huhugrub, wb1116, & me placed to fill some lacunae. Cheers GSEL!