The Matai Twins (Auckland) Warkworth, North Island, New Zealand
By glyn & TWS---cache planters on 21-Jun-08. Waypoint GC197EE

Time to go

The track is closed due to Kauai die back

KDD

My objective today was all about the numbers - but not the usual numbers - I was after missing minutes to complete the South 36 Challenge (GC54X4E). I started the day needed 11 more and managed to get them all while dodging rain showers along the way. This one took a lot longer search than it should have done. All good in the end. TFTC, Biggles.

I was heading up North to meet up with some fellow cachers to hike across Dome Valley. Made the decision to leave a few hours early as there were a number of caches I wanted to find around Warkworth.

A lovely loop walk through this reserve that I have driven past many times. Located the sign and searched in many areas, before running out of time for the meetup and having to run back to the car.

I figured the coords were off so I looked all around the Metal tree. Once I struck out there, I really did follow that little needle on my SmartPhone and the hint, too right to the correct GZ. TFTC.

Nice walk with kids under shade in heat of the day. Took a bit to work out hint. Tftc.

Been away with McJandals for several days. Up and about early this morning to find a few more in Warkworth. Took a fair while to track this cache down. Had to read the hint several times

On A road trip with Dee+ME from Tauranga. Have been having a poke around here and there and been taken to some great places, many thanks to all you COs for your placements. Today we start to make our way south again. Was up early to make the most of the day. Cheers to last found log. All good here.

Spent ages looking, started getting munched by mosquitoes, so left it

Off on a mission today, to get enough numbers in September for my one hundred in every month challenge. With not many unfound local caches available, a trip south was called for and I hoped to combine it with an exercise training jaunt for the upcoming Taupo Ultra.

I have driven through Warkworth so many times and noticed these couple of caches in this reserve, but just never had the chance to stop and look for them. After successfully locating the ruins cache, I carried on along the trails to this one and soon had the magnificent twin trees in view.

Once near GZ, I couldn't locate the cache at first, as there didn't seem to be many likely safe hiding places. After rereading and thinking about the hint though, it became much more obvious where I should be looking. Sure enough, the cache was soon located tucked away nicely. Signed the log and replaced safe and secure, as found. TFTC

Mozzie mozzie mozzie! lovely walk but couldn't stick about finding this cache as we we're all being unbearably eaten alive!

DNF.
Went back to the hotel and sent message to C.O. who told us about where it should be (where we had been looking), so we went back again and spent a further 15 minutes in the rain looking.
Once again DNF.

GodfreyH

Took us a while but we found it. Great cache with an assortment of cool trinkets for the kids to have a look at. Added our own one and off to track yet another cache

Looked in both matai twins and couldn't find it. A lot of possible hiding places still no luck.

After a bit of a wander along the trails of Mt Tamahunga I decided it was time for a drive up the coast. Certainly some variation in road quality along the coast out that way. But now it is time to head for home via the main roads. Still time to collect a few more hides though. I have been meaning to find this cache for years now and have driven past on numerous occasions. Finally time to tick this one off. I moved my car from the car park to a closer entrance to this reserve as I had hurt my left ankle earlier in the day. No problem finding the namesakes and after a bit of scratching around I came up with the hide. I took the TB. Cheers for the hide!

Nice greets from Dresden in Germany . Tftc

Beautiful cashe to take a walk to. Dropped off a trackable

Found it! We did the longer loop, very cool. Bring long pants and mossie spray, I have never seen so many at once. The logs were a bit slimy, could do with a refresher. As we were sitting trying to log the cache I could see them swarm at our legs! (We were in such a rush to get away from the mossies that we logged the day wrong). TFTC! Team LOPHB

Found thanks to tadpole number 1 using the compass properly!
Cheers for the cache

Took a little while to find.
Log too mushy to write on.

Last 10m or so of trail was closed for track maintenance but since when did a cordon stop a serious geocacher?! Jumped the cordon and carried on a little further to the twins. Cache took a few minutes to locate but all is well. Signed log and headed back to the car for a slow drive back home in the end of weekend traffic, TFTC!

A gorgeous secret glade walk along side a clear little brook. Weird to hear the roar of traffic in the background. Found a damp ( systema of coarse) log that has lasted a surprising long test of time. A fp for me.

Found it

Carried on walking from the ruins and got to this one without too much bother. Started looking at the obvious before re-calibrating and managed to get the cache in hand and replaced with only a couple of bites for my troubles. Awesome little area - TFTC

Found this after Ruins in the park, mosquitoes were out in vengeance as I was singing the log, but was quick so only a couple got me. TFTC

Breaking a long hot drive home with a stop to geocache. Took me awhile to locate but got there in the end. Unfortunately I managed to take the long route on a very hot and humid day!

#10843. It wasn't too hard to get to find out way to GZ, and the cache was located after a short search. The main issue was the mosquitos; they were ferocious. I had to bat them away from Troodles legs as she re-hid the cache. TFTC.

We have just one day to explore the area before continuing our northward journey so decided to check out Omaha Beach, Leigh and Matakana. We were surprised at the volume of traffic on most of the roads we travelled so had to be careful with stopping and parking for caches along the way. Thanks to all the COs who have taken us to some fabulous locations.
We found the short way in, though it was not signposted and I felt as though we were walking through someone's property. Easy to spot the twins - the sign gave it away . After initially looking in the wrong place, we interpreted the hint differently, and then the cache was a quick find. Then the mozzies found me so did the paperwork and replacement of cache in double quick time. TFTC.

In our work clothes and a 6 hour journey ahead so gave it away . It'll be a grubby find . Found the Matai twins and took shortcut access

The Kowhai Festival was on this Saturday, so we parked a way away and grabbed a few caches through the bush walk. This one took us a while as we were looking a bit closer to the Matai, TFTC

Got my feet wet and dirty turning in where the compass showed the shortest route. Found after doing another cache. Bit of advice to other cachers, read the description and clue well. Cache need attention, VERY WET. Well done G-2's Bodyguard. TFTC

(1567) Found while out on a Sunday caching trip in the Warkworth area. TFTC

Took a little while but a good wet hunt!

Once I got the clue I found it. Tftc!

Once we figured out the clue was easy. Great walk

Well, todays weather forecast was for rain, all day, and they got it right. Very right indeed. I don't know about a cache mobile, today a waka would have been more fitting or even an ark. Got enough piggies and puppies to exceed the two by two rule too.
Target for today was a couple of letterboxes, a few unique Southern minutes of degrees for a challenge cache I'm creeping ever closer to achieving and anything else that I decided to stop in the pouring rain to try and write and get every single drop of rain down my neck.
Onto the main business of the day. Head along the linking road up to Kaipara Road then back down SH1 via Warkworth and some other places.
Made sure I got truly drenched here. Parked in the main reserve car park by the toilets and walked the 400 odd metres to GZ via a retirement village (felt like it was in Dunedin) and eventually got to G Z. seeing the massive trees lightened my mood but a series of second guessing which 'way' was which resiulted in every growing thing in a 100 metre radius being checked. Got the cache exactly as hinted once I'd ensured I was soaked to the bone
T F T C

Just about to give up after being eaten alive by bugs!!

Found way in from road OK.
Soon found. TFTC.

Found the unmarked entrance thanks , and enjoyed short wander to gz .....
Ric was on wrong track at first , but I rechecked details and hint and came up with the goods ...

Took the long way in over well maintained walkways. Found it spot on according to the description, thank you. - Logbook pretty damp at the moment!

Thanks Cretti for the valuable info in your log. Made accessing the pathway to this cache nice and relatively simple. Great spot for a cache, TFTC

So. We stopped in the wrong place and sh1 thinking we could get in from there. You can't.

The we parked in the main parking and ended up taking a right up the trail and went onto private property. Not the way either.

The we headed back onto the path. Very wet soggy muddy with streams running across it. Gave up went back to the car and researched the short way.

Found it on the map. Headed out to Westpark Glm, parked at the end. Found the unmarked walkway at the end to the left down the side of a house. Then along the trail to locate GZ.

Nice trees. Found the cache after a little bit of looking. My new Oregon 650 is pretty awesome even under trees.

Dropped off one really nice geocoin and two tbs.

Find #967. Thank you very much for the cache. 13/09/2014 16:32

First we thought we could go over 2 barbed wire fences and across the river but then realised there was a track on the other side. Chose to re-park and after a fashion found the cache and a TB. Great walkway albeit wet after the deluge of rain recently. Well worth stepping out today. TFTC.

#1784, Good Walk in found by the twins. Dropped TB. TFTC

Great bushwalk good find TFTC

Good walk, Never knew it was there and a good place to walk the dog

Very picturesque walk. Definitely pays to read the clue

After a previous visit took what I thought was a shorter route but turns out that was even longer! Just as well it's a cool walk. Seems to be at least 3 ways to get to this cache and then the 4th one I took. Contents of cache were sodden so thanks for the waterproof paper cache inside - notebook cache was too wet to open. Last time looked in wrong place completely - but after about 10 minutes managed to locate it. TFTC.

Looked and looked, DNF. Great location though

Well, after the previous attempts, it was surprising that I quickly found it in the second place I looked. I made it difficult by coming the third way in from a nearby reserve.

Following the path through the forest it was a lovely walk cache did take some time to find once we read the hint again and widened our search.
TFTC

This one took us quite a while, until we paid close attention to the hint.
TFTC

found after ten mins at gz. tftc

29/10/13 Visited at 19:15

("\(0o0)/") No luck today, we'll have to have another crack at it next time.
Don't know if you can give favourite points to a DNF but we want to, great spot!
Found what must be the short way in on the way out but it felt strange exiting via someone's driveway.

{Sent from a mobile mind, not just a mobile device.} °°° +

We definitely took the longest way possible but were happy to be under the trees as a heavy shower blew thru-passed some great trees-no probs with the find-tftc

Finally had some time in hand today to stop and give this one ago, that we have passed by for years. Really we are not sure if we took the short way or the long way in. Track was pretty muddy in places and took some effort to stay on the feet and not do a " bottom slide" in many places. Finally got to GZ and took quite a while to locate, but thankfully we did find it. Decided not to return the way we came and skidded and slid back to the car with very muddy shoes. Oh and the trees were mighty as well. Glad to have a smiley on this spot at last. +TB's. SL. TFTC.

Went for a bush crash. Found it after about 10mins

Walked past it a few times, then slither spotted it

On the Second day of my very short northern explore I decieded to see what I could to do around the Warkworth area, Took the short route in and eventually located the entrance.

Great couple of trees and soon managed to locate the cache
TFTC

Enjoyed a nice wee bush walk after eventually managing to find the path leading to the bush tracks. Spent a wee bit of time looking in the most obvious place before moving on to GZ. TFTC.

One day I am going to park a shipping container in the bush with 'THIS IS A GEOCACHE' on the side of it. Then my chances of finding it will be increased. No luck again today after trying when last in NZ. Followed hint and all. Didn't help that Miss 6 wanted to head back.

After the ruins I had to go for this one. Once you're hooked on caching you can't help it. Unfortunatly I couldn't find it.

Was on the way home found that this was relatively close to the road. Decided to bush bash and hop the stream. Glad it was a trickle. Found after a small search. Another I have been meaning to do for years.

Finally got to do this one years after Cam placed it!
All good.

All good, added new log

A very enjoyable walk through the bush with lots of bird life on display. The cache took a bit of finding but I got there after about 10 minutes. TFTC

I headed off to this after finding the Ruins in the park cache, and thought 300m is not far to sprint up and back! Well, don't try sprinting if there has been a lot of rain thats for sure! The first part of the track was nicely maintained but pretty soon it got very slippery, muddy and some of the steps are broken and there are plenty of slippery tree roots jumping up to trip you up! Still it was a nice cruise through the trees but not something you could use a pushchair on. Took the high road and got within 20 m of the cache but wisely didn't consider a straight line approach. Discovered further up the track looped back on itself so all was good. With all the tree coverage and low cloud, it made getting a good signal for the GPS pretty hard to pin point the cache down. So after staggering around the Twins for awhile, I actually stumbled on the cache after discovering I'd gone too "high" up. Cache was a bit damp inside but the log book was all good. This cache definitely earned its 2.5 star difficulty but I think the terrain rating could go up half/a star?

I decided to retrace my steps back the way I came, rather than continue on the loop as I didn't know where that ended up. Jogged back along the track only to "pop" out somewhere totally different to where I went in! Now how did that happen?? I think the 2 tracks must get close to each other at one point, anyway I must have spied the better track from above and crossed over. Oh well, it all ended well and I found my way back to the car with the bored/embarrassed teenager waiting patiently (NOT!!) for me to drive her home.

TFTC and rumble along the track.

Went the long way in to get this one. It took five of us searching to find it. GPS wasn't of much use apart from getting us to GZ.

Nice place for a walk.

Enjoyed the walk into here. TFTC

Found on our tour of Northland from Te Anau with The Italian Job from Auckland. TFTC

Trust your GPS for this find. Found with 'Kev N Chris' from Te Anau. The Italian Job was here....!

Found it after hunting round, no TB

Nice walk to the twins. Took a few minutes to locate the cache. SL TFTC

Beautiful twins - great spot. The eagle eyed Ro found this while I was rooting about elsewhere. Watch your step - its very slippery when approaching from the top path - part of which has a water flow. Dropped off Kopftrommel and A Kaleidoscope of colors TBs

Bit of a wet slippery walk to the Matai Twins after all the rain recently, but an enjoyable walk through the bush all the same. At GZ we decided to trust the GPS despite the tree cover, and were rewarded with a quick find of the cache. TFTC!

# 3749

Found the cache with the second try! TFTC

TFTC
well hidden cache
we enjoyed the walk through the bush

found it with two friends

I enjoyed the walk through the bush

TFTC

TFTC

Bingo! Finally found this one after 4 attempts. Had to literally think laterally. Took nothing, left nothing. Well actually, the big red sniffer dog left something, but we went back and took it with us. TFTC.

Found on our 2nd visit. Gave up after only a couple of minutes a few months ago after getting swamped by mozzies in the fading light of the evening. Fortunately no mozzies this time so we gave ourselves more time to have a good hunt.

GPS all over the shop due to the heavy tree cover, so it took us a while to find the cache even though we found the twins quite quickly. Mr 2newkiwis was ready to give up the search after falling on his bum and getting his trousers covered in mud when the Mrs suddenly had a flash of inspiration and stumbled on the cache. Always helps to look in the right spot .

NB: No trackables in cache!

Like everybody else I rushed in and took the top track. Would have been easier to find if I walked the grass area beside the State Highway and found the start of the track there. (I came out that way). Still it was an enjoyable walk. Coords difficult because of trees. Clue a bit of a herring too. Like everybody else I was looking at Matai trees. Stumbled up and came across the tawa tree by mistake really!!!!!! Loved the bush area. Tried this one about a year ago, but did not find it. Was determined today!!! Favourite stop off now to stretch the legs. TFTC

Team Detection Dog's first try at geo-caching. Really disappointed that we didn't find this one as the Twin-Matais is one of our fav walking tracks. Decided the iphone-4 wasn't good enough and hacked a new track 500m due east to Dick Smiths to get ourselves a little Garmin. We will be back another day.

NZ11. I managed to stuff this one up by taking a wrong turn in the forest. Then the track seemed to turn into a slushy no mans land. When I eventually got to an area with GZ within 5m the GPS stopped helping all together. I suppose today I was persistent, but it was went and muddy in there. Mind you, it is the difficult ones that enhance the experience. Thanks.

4937.135 TNLN
Visited: World Traveling Gold GC A#6 & Equator A#19

Albida

Really lovely bush walk and a good search to find this one. Returned on the lower track, which gave us a real feeling of wilderness trekking, even though the traffic was zooming past only about 20m away... TNLN. No trackables in the cache. Dipped in Zuzu the little Welsh dragon. TFTC

Did a bit of a quality test of the Nuvi 200 against the Oregon 550 and found the Oregon out performed the Nuvi in the rain with cloud and tree cover. Cache was exposed so replaced and covered carefully. t4tc

Got it second time! Took a geo coin will try to move it on.

Like others we took the wrong path and ended up in a cute little village but couldn't get closer than 160m without heading into peoples gardens so back we went. Found another path by the ruins and headed off again, much to the displeasure of the Junior Pastamakers who wanted fish and chips but 10 minutes of marching through the bush in 28 degrees and we found the twins. GPS would not settle down and we were just thinking about enlarging the search area but the Junior Pastamakers were now enveloped in a cloud of mozzies so we had to beat a retreat without a really good search. Will need to return on a less humid day!

Took a wrong turn on the track after visiting "Ruins in the Park" and ended up in suburbia on a 31 degree day. All hot and bothered so will come back another day.

Nice stroll, T4TC. Dropped off World Travel coin

Being Christmas, gps seemed to be having a sleep. Found the trees but couldn't get a good enough lock.

Greetings from germany
2010 12 6 | 14:03

Found the twins but couldn't find the cache, will try again.

Took a while but got there in the end. This was a tricky one. Iphone was a little TFTC

Took a while but got there in the end. Mozzies everywhere! And spiderwebs, creepy. TFTC

New Murphy's law. If there is a choice of paths we'll take the wrong one. The twins were cool but we took so long searching that the mozzies found us. We'd consider both difficulty and terrain are understated. There were NO trackables. PINO TFTC

Could not find this with the iPhone 4 today!!