Where the Xmas money went. (Auckland) Albany Village, North Island, New Zealand
By glyn(the only one) on 07-Feb-07. Waypoint GC10TZ7

gone, thanks for the visits

New Zealand 2103 trip for the Auckland Mega at Albany. Day 17, In Auckland Region, Northshore. NZ Mega Auckland Day 2. Caching with Sol de Lune and Marcus Vitruvius followed by the evening activities at Mega Central. With all the security camera here I am not surprised to see this one missing. Thanks.

Albida

Will check

Looks like the tree it was in has been cut down, can CO please check on cache

Another did not find here. Reveurs and I looked for it in the dark, but no success. But we got Top of the Hill, so our August streak continues.

Like the two previous cachers didn't find this one. We were aware of the security camera on the dotcom fenceline so didn't want to spend too long searching.

No luck today.

Nah, not found.

Parked the campervan for an overnightstay just down the road. Went for a bike ride with our doggie Xento. Hmmm the road was a bit more steep than expected
After finding the other cache....now I could see the right "house" hahahha
I almost thought of visiting Kimmie for a cup of coffee.
Cycling back and past (in another street) the back of the property..This is really big..

Took my girlfriend out for a Sunday drive and after a quick hunt around between passing cars I located the cache, signed the log book & hid it again. Great views of the Dotcom mansion too! TFTC.

Found under the watchful eye of the security camera
TFTC

Wow some lovely country houses around this area. Oh sorri MANSIONS!. So wonder what's for Christmas this year?. Quick find and sign. Even smiled for the camera too.

Wow! some pad eh. You have to be aware of cycling muggles, they can sneak up on you quickly and silently. I nearly got caught re-hiding the cache, but saw them just in time.

First ever cache! Such an exciting moment!
Out- nothing
In- key ring from South Korea

TFTC

Was just down the road from here yesterday finding another cache. Didn't seem to be much going on at the mansion today. A security guard appeared after I had signed the log, replaced the cache and was heading back to the car. Nice camo. TFTC.

Very quick and easy to find with the kids who are very excited to pick up our first travel bug. I have business trip on Monday so hope to find a cool exotic cache for the next step on this bugs journey.

In the area with the team and a crutch in hand! Awesome view, imagine - if only... Lotto anyone!?! Thanks for the view and adventure. Left King Pig TB part of the Angry Birds selection on there own adventures. Thanks.

Found w/KayakNKiwi running tech, Seattle's Best carrying the pen and BookWormMum making the grab. What'd I do?
Dot com..... OTT..... whoever owns it.
Launching some of KnK's birds here.... visits only, tho I think she left an ugly pig.

Heard the comment from the gates - it's OK just more geocachers. I wonder who is expected at Dot Com Mansion?? TFTC

[ At 16:10 NZDT again a nice easy find after a stroll from the ""again"" view. Guess I was caught on camera too !! Had my father christmas suit on so what the heck ??? TFTC ]

Easy driveby .tftc

very impressive gate security, am sure I wouldn't want my photo taken here, TFTC

Found while in the area.

That's not a house, that's a small English village! Hard to believe so much money could come from those hampers. Couldn't initially get to this one because it was on the running route for the Coatesville Classic, which the other half was running in, but came back after trying some other caches, and the road was open again. Log book a bit damp. TFTC!!!

#925 and #102 for the day. After completing the nearby power trail, we stopped at this one on the way home, can't believe we had the energy to climb out of the car a further time for the day.... Quick find. SL. TFTC.

New owner Kim Schmitz (the multi-millonaire computer hacker) has put new signage at the entrance - "Dotcom Mansion". Peeped over the fence and there is even a life-sized girrafe statue in the grounds! Briefly wondered if I could pop in for a cuppa ... but with muddy shoes and dirty fingernails from a morning of caching decided to leave it till next time

all good

Very interesting cache description. Wonder what the owners make of all those cachers stopping by their gate and bustling about in the shrubbery. ;D

Took the geocoin.

Cheers for the cache!

Was my first find in NZ, Nice and convenient being just down the road! Will possibly need a new zip bag for the note book though, as unfortunately its a bit damp. Dropped a Penguins of Madagascar Geocoin all the way from Canada. Someone give him some food and send him on his way!

Nice quick drive-by as we were heading past for dinner at a very nearby house but unfortuately not the one behind the gates. TFTC

We were out taking a drive in the country and happened across this cache. Thanks!

Many thanks for another happy face and the interesting history about those Xmas parcels!

Good location, soon located the cache. SL TFTC

A quick find on a Sunday afternoon. No muggles around only a few security cameras, had a quick look at the house, I guess you can hide a few caches on this property. No "Jonathan's Canada Micro Geocoin" in the cache.
TNLNSL cheers

Found, not sure of date but logged in book. Thought the first house was the big one and then realised that it was further down, WOW. TFTC

The things you see and find out while caching..... Thanks.

Cache out in open when found...now hidden

Nice quick Find while on the shore today. The houses out here truly amazing. TFTC [^]

Impressive. So Christmas is very profitable for some! T4TC

pretended to be taking photos while my friend dug the cache out of its hidey hole. amazing house, well worth coming to see! thanks

Great view - top of the rise- well disguised. T4TC

Found it this time no trouble and wasn't busted. Sent a Geocoin on further travels.

Chickened out after being busted big time by the resident muggle and his stealthly vehicle. Little did I hear or see the gates opening behind me. *sigh* Not my best attempt.

Easy find, once the muggles had wandered past, and owners/visitors driven through the gates!
- hairband
+ gold tattoos
TFTC

Stopped by to view the house and collect the cache. Had to wait for muggles on horseback to amble past. The last entry in the logbook was from the 'gardener at the mansion', who said she had found it while doing her job. She had replaced it safely - some muggles are much nicer than others.

# 615

Wow, quick find, with a new recruit. Need to be alert for muggles, they come out of nowhere Dropped off TB

Nice looking house alright

easy find. Wow wat a house. wouldnt mind owning that. TFTC

Wow, what a house. Wouldnt it be nice to live in something like that.

TFTC

Wow is all I can say, reminds me of the house in an old TV programme called Dynasty. Quick find but even out here on the quiet rural roads muggles seem to appear when you are either retrieving or replacing, this one was a girl leading a very s l o w horse, then some joggers . T4TC.

what an awesome view of an extreme house!!! must see to appreciate!
cache was well hidden, so dig around a bit

QUICK FIND ON WAY HOME FROM DRIVE AROUND PARRY-GREAT VIEWS ON A STUNNING DAY-TFTC

all ok

Thanks for the fun near the great houses.

TFTC, exactly one month until Xmas and this is where all the money went

A nice find

Nice views from up here. Nice area to live (if you have the money to buy a house over here.
TFTC

Not much to see due to the rain and shade fence but good drive in the contry just the same.
TNLNTFTC
Cheers

Agree with Technokitten far too much vacuuming required.
Great view of sunset while I was here. - pin badge + Buterfly hair clips. TFTC

nice easy find ,great camo,busy road with nice view of big house TNLNSL

11:22 Quick Drive by cache, shame the owner have placed the shade cloth along the fence, so we can't be nosey anymore .

Looks like some other building is happening as well, Thanks for the cache Glyn.

Left: mtyote Tb

Confirms what I always thought about Chrisco, a very aptly named cache. Amazing house though, you could possibly get a few caches in there without breaking the proximity rules!
Thank you Glyn, thoroughly appreciated having this pointed out, ooh, pretty good hide too!
TFTC

Nice easy find. Used to eat lunch here all the time!

Having just done Jailhouse cache we jumped back onto Splat and roared up the hill... XC enjoying the twisty road and TK purring on the back... Got to the top of the hill near GZ and parked Splat in the drive.
TK was distracted ogling at the mansion while XC craftily grabbed cache from hidey hole.. Heh heh... Excellent hide..
Interesting place.
TK signed the log and I logged through travelling Geocoins.
TFTC #465

Yahooooooo twisty roads, sporty Splat and pilot Xenacommander...... fun fun fun
Looked at the grotesque edifice and could only think how much time is wasted on the vacuuming Two room city flats mean less cleaning and more time for caching.
XC bagged the cache. While we were attending to log business, three cars of sightseers pulled up to ogle the mansion.
Hamper suppliers deserve their profit, they work hard too. Socialists can get free hampers any time they want from the City Mission.. they are called foodparcels
TNLN SL

Hmmm.... although this place contributed to a good year for Butterfly & co, this is the first time she has seen it.
Though at least one of the special features inside is being considered for the butterfly home.
Deceptive gateway, suggests something less flashy.
Thanks for bringing us here.

Nice quick find, with an amazing view. TNLNSL, TFTC

2.20pm. Enjoyed the view of this enormous house. Quite a showy way to prove you are "very private people" we thought. Noticed an earlier log by The Pud said he would like to live in it. If he does hope he remembers us!!
+ NZ fridge magnet & plastic toy man
- cellotape (very small)
TFTC
[8d] M&P.

[#395]
Easy find. Four different car loads of muggles turned up and admired the mansion, I guess, built with their Xmas money contributions, while we signed the log. Thanks glyn.
TNLNSL, TFTC

Found it quickly, great view of this fab. house, TNLN SL TFTC

Glyn - Awesome camo, didn't even recognise the container at first! A friend had a flatmate that worked on the house - apparently all contractors had to sign confidentiality agreements. There's supposedly secret tunnels and bunker rooms under the house!

In - BuzzyBee! Out - Nothing.

First find for the afternoon after work.
A nice quick find, with a view mansion to boot.
Cheers for showing me this mega house.
TNLNSL

6.10pm. A quick find, although it's a busy little road.
+ domino
- yellow smiley rubber.
TFTC
Cheers M+S [:O)] (450)

Too much money for sure although probably better spending it on this rather than a supper yacht that never gets used?
Thanks for showing it to us.

Quick find on way north

Can't really see the point of having such a large place. What more do you need other than a room to live, a room to sleep, and a deck to enjoy the sun. Pity the poor buggar who has to keep it clean.
TFTC, TNLNSL

First of our finds for the day. Our 5 year old son found the cache while we were gazing enviously down the valley. Wouldn't like the electricity bill though!
TNLN
TFTC

Most people have a problem with the wheels falling off ... mine was a case of the pedal giving way. Maybe I'm to strong for the bike! Came back later in the day by car.

I had been wanting to check out this place before. Not for the cache, but to see what this property looks like. Di and I did not like the prospect of mowing so many lawns, so we are quite happy to stay where we are. Initial attempt to get there on MTB failed due to a broken bike paddle, so we came back in the afternoon and found it without problem. Good choice and excellent to include the history of the place. We should not encourage too much to get rich by ripping other people of, though. Thanks for the cache!

Good grief, this is awful. What a monument to ripping off the less wealthy. I'm going to let my daughter know - she has been in this plan in the past. Aaaargh! Well thanks Glyn for this salutory lesson. Nice cache too!

It just shows how gullible people are to be taken in by the Chrisco system. Some supermakets do or did run Christmas Clubs that gave better value for money. I, for one, can say that I did not contribute to this monstrosity.

Came today with a new homestay student, this time from Japan. She had never of "treasure hunts" in this form. She thought it was great.
In: 5 Yen piece.
Out: Pink pen
Cheers for the cache.

Yes, the result of the commercialisation of Chistmas - a bit ironic really, so much for the spirit of giving.
Cheers glyn - M@

Had to do a quick U - turn as I went cruising past it.... Dug around....and released I had discarded the cache. Nice Camo work.

in: skateboard

out: nothing

Out early on a Sunday morning and it seemed like the rest of Auckland had the same idea, either walking or cycling up Ridge Road. It's great to see. This was our new (geo)dogs 1st find. I think he's got a lot to learn about sniffing out caches! Not a bad house.
TFTC

#476. Found about 12:30pm. What a whopper although not my style and I think I'd find a different way to spend $30m. TFTC

18:05 hrs.
Yay Another FTF! Just.
I fretted when I got stopped by a couple of yellow lights in the evening rush hour traffic and I was correct in expecting some heated competition for this FTF. Gr8dad and team arrived before I had even replaced the container. Finding first has become a social activity of late. Maybe we should double list new caches as events?

She's big alright. The house that is.
TNLNSL TFTC

Thought I would be a shoe in for an FTF.Cache came live @ 5.10pm and I did all the homework with Multi map.As I only work about 5 mins away thought finishing at 6.00pm would be enough of a headstart. Wrong Again!. Drove past the GZ and saw two white cars, I hoped they were just locals having a yarn but after doing a Uee all I could see was hands waving at me. Turned out Gr8Dad and Navi had done the the biz and were heading off. Grabbed the cache and signed the book.

In Heel Balm

Thanks for the hunt, nice house by the way.

Published

18h13 - Well, not ftf, but close. Pulled up to find Navigull with the loot in hand, and had to wait for it to be hidden again, then found it again!! While having a bit of a chat, Zork v came down the road aswell - turning into a bit of a local get-together!!
Nice place - want one like that when I'm all grown-up!!
- spiderman keychain
+ highlighter pen
TFTC - Glyn