Famous Flora's (Nelson/Marlborough) Pokororo, South Island, New Zealand
By Biggles and Jarzoo on 02-Jan-09. Waypoint GC1KBXQ

Weekend:We set off on a great adventure with the whole family: one night in Mt. Arthur hut and one night in the Lower Gridiron Rock Shelter. So cool to be able to do these hikes with all the kids and enjoy the outdoors together. Very low visibility on Saturday but great weather on Sunday, we really enjoyed being out here in the mountains!Cache:Quick find here thanks to the clear hint. We had lunch here before going back to the car park and ending our marvellous adventure together.

Thanks great find

With StaceyM2002 tftc

Quick find while having a picnic lunch with the family at Flora Hut. Arrived at 11:30am and everything was still frosty! Sun came over the hill at midday and warmed us up.

Had our lunch at the hut after coming down the Flora track from the Mt Arthur Hut. Quick find after lunch and the cache is all good.

TFTC

TFTC

A quick find in the first place I looked. tftc

Xmas day find

TFTC

Logged with [GCDroid](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gcdroid).

Found while on a quick snack break on way to Upper Grid iron hut. Tftc

Found with Madcow2. The start of our trip. Didn't take long to locate the cache. TFTC

Doing the Tablelands circuit.
Quick find

Out for a walk today with andy.gail - a nice introduction walk for the younger ones. Cache missing as andy.gail had found this before. They had spares so a replacement was put down. They contacted Biggles and he was happy with this.

TFTC Biggles and Jarzoo

SJT_NZ are towards the end of our tramp and after a overly full hut last night at Salisbury Lodge with only a few hours sleep ready to head home for a shower and grab some lunch that's not sachet tuna. There were quire a few people at Flora Hut just enjoying the sun but we had a pretty good search in the many trees around where coordinates indicated. Will watch and see and be back for another try.

Had to get this cache on the way back to the car as there were a couple of muggles there ,had a lovely walk to the upper and lower Gridiron huts on a beautiful day a quick easy find. Thanks Biggles and Jarzoo for this cache

Came over this way from Blenheim for an overnight tramp with a couple of other ladies. Had no idea really how hard or long we were going to be so caching was certainly not my focus. I said to the others I would not delay them too much so I did bypass other caches after only a cursory look...certainly not a DNF tho.
After a big 7hr is day yesterday with stops - it was nice to have this easier track back out to the carpark. Dumped pack with the others at the picnic table... and then made a quick find before having our last drinks/snack stop. TFTC Biggles and Jarzoo

Great walk with the grandson.

Family tramp with kids aged 6 and 10. Flora saddle to Cobb valley. Weather great. Kids did well. Wonderful place. I managed to grab some caches along the way, but quite a few less obvious ones missed due to insufficient time. Sorry for the cut and paste logs. Mostly log books in good shape. I added a page of waterproof paper where not. Memorable experience. Thanks to all cache owners for taking the time to place and maintain your caches. Team Broadbent (signed TB on micros). Find # 2272

Nice spot! Found with Josh TFTC

Thanks for a very accurate hint. Quick find, took to the table in front of the hut to sign. Weka Muggle was watching me
On from here to Gridiron Hut.

Found with helnel123

It was an Adventure to get to the carpark but then we enjoyed the scenery. Really beautiful! Tftc.

27/12/2018 5:43:00 PM
8862
Christmas time, and we went on a big family tramp to Kahurangi. Mum, brothers, hubby, and our 2 year old. We did a 7 day tramp, and then went to Nelson for the night, and then split up, and the 3 of us not wanting to go home yet did yet another hike just overnight.

We had a great time hiking, and hanging out with great weather (Except for one day! ) and good baking!

We found almost all the caches on the way too - except for some which were just too much of a detour with a heavy 25kg pack!
Thanks for all the hides, and sorry for the copied logs, but it's just been so much time, so hard to remember exactly, and it's a busy life chasing a toddler & running a business! Eeek!

TFTC!!

What to do on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. We looked a our map and there are less and less options close to home, so we decided to head up here and see what we could find.
When we arrived at the carpark we were in the clouds.
Once we headed over the ridge and down the hill we dropped below the cloud level and we were back into the stunning weather we enjoy.
It is a few years since we have been to Flora hut, my main memory was when we had our four small children with us and during the night I woke with mice running over my sleeping bag. While I don't hate mice, I don't appreciate sharing my bed with them. So GK was up in the night spotting mice with a torch and giving them a bit of a hurry along with a piece of wood. Good thing he is a good shot, as it was not too long before the mice were no longer a problem.
We had a look in the hut today and revisited that memory. The hut has been relined and had better fire places installed since we last stayed here. Today the only livestock in the huts were a heap of blow flies and if we were staying the night they probably would have had a similar treatment as the mice got all those years ago.
The cache was soon found in the first place we looked, love it when that happens.
A quick sign and we were on our way to the next cache a wee bit further down the track.
Thanks for placing and looing after this cache and of course thank you for the smiley.

Found this geocache on our family over night trip to "Salisbury Lodge" I had planed to geocache the whole trip finding most of the ones i had put on.

This one was the 2nd of the day and we were already ready for a drink of water, Cool cahe
TFTC enjoyed alot.

There was someone at the hut when we came through this morning and he said he would be around all day, so we snuck in via a back track to the GZ on our way past in the afternoon. Cache was full of water. Dried everything out, signed the log and rehid where found. As we went past the hut, it was all closed up and empty. Guess the guy went home after all. tftc

Nine days to do some caching for the price of four leave days - who could complain about that! I found a quirky place to stay near Motueka, ad decided to base myself there to cache in the wider area. I had a few on my hit list, and ended up finding a great variety of different caches on the trip.
Day five - I was going to do a nice walk, and a few caches on the way. Great day for it, not too hot but dry. And what a nice walk to take, much easier that the drive to the carpark... Great timing for the cache, as just as I replaced it and sat down to have a picnic, some muggles arrived. TFTC!!

TFTC

TFTC! Slept in Mt. Arthurs Hut for a night and went up to the summit...what an awesome environment to spend time in! easy...

We stayed in this hut for the Millennium New Year's Eve so it was nice to revisit it while up on holiday from Christchurch. We are the only ones here apart from 2 weka & sandflies. A quick easy find fitting the description well. TFTC

So this is historic Flora Hut! Nice! Nelson Tramping Club are doing a really good job of keeping it up - even the grass has been mowed! The GPS was a good 14 m out, but the clue guided us right to the spot. Thanks bigles! And now, to walk the 4WD road up to the saddle and back to the carpark. A wonderful day - stopped for a subway in Motueka for tea - these long summer days are made for us older and slower trampers!

Whoops found some weeks back and forgot to log!! Arrived on a icy night, everything frozen solid. Had a tiny bit of snow then rain for the remainder of the trip. Absolutely loved it here and a great hiding spot, TFTC!!!

**Found on an overnight round trip from Flora Car Park, with Mum and Dad, staying at Salisbury Lodge. **
Initially I looked at the lowest track (yes, the one with the sign...) but my GPS was all over the place, so it didn't look overly wrong... eventually narrowed it down, miles away from where I was to start with, all of a sudden the hints and GPS matched up. It would have been a bit of a downer to start the tramp with a DNF! TFTC (3667)

The first on the loop track through Mt Arthur Hut. There were two Mum's and young daughters at the hut when we arrived who had been tramping in the area. While I went hunting my partner talked with them. Once the cache was in hand I sat at the table to enter the find in the log when, much to my surprise, one of the girls mentioned that she and her Mum had also found this back in early January! Flora is a great hut and needs to remain for the younger generation to experience. TFTC

R&J.

Off on a three day tramp, Flora car park to Dry rock shelter (4th), over Gordons Pyramid to Arthur ridge (5th), slept under fly and then it was too windy to go up Arthur on the 6th which was a shame. Five kids (ages 7,8,10,11,& 12) and three adults. I was so impressed with my kids and how they walked (and talked and sang and slept...), I had a few worries before we left but I was the slowest!
Nice easy find, thanks

Thanks for the cache! CZ

Nice spot for lunch on way out from Salisbury Lodge. Cache all good. TFTC

Found on the last day of a 5 day tramp, walking the Lesley- Karamea track. Nice spot to stop for lunch. Cache not hard to find.

Quick find on the way back from an awesome night at Lower Gridiron. TFTC

#4484

Found with quinella and indoctrinated a couple of mugglets who were staying in the hut with their mum. Tftc

Had a great night here. Had been in to Gridiron for an explore on MTB. Will have to go right through another time . Thanks

Easy as.... HOTA

Quick find. Nice Hut. Thanks for the cache!

On our 3-day tramp from Flora to Splungeons Rock Shelter and then to Flanagans Hut over Baton saddle we found a few geocaches. This was the spot to fill up our water bottles in the stream and prepare for the 20km ahead. This first day was a very nice walk, tracks are in a good condition. On the second day we struggled more, it was worth the effort though! TFTC

Wonderful hut we love it here. Tftc

Found on our annual Christmas family tramp. The first overnight for master 2 years. Tftc

Diky

Found quickly before the muggles come back from going down to the river. Last cache for the day as I walk out from climbing Mt Arthur TFTC

Another good find on tramp to Salisbury Lodge. The Nelson Tramping Club is currently renovating this hut. TFTC!

My first time to this area. Great old hut, just as I remember them from years ago. Took a while to find the cache as I didnt read the description enough-Clump misread as stump didnt help!

Cache was pretty wet, so gave it a good clean out, dried it off, wiped down the container and re located it. Nice day for a bit of caching.

Found with Vydra20. TFTC

Nice small hut. Found on the to Baloon hut. TFTC!

On the way back from my first overnight hike in NZ, we had a lunchbreak near this hut. Great place to do some geocaching. Friends from my hiking group were very interested and helped with the search. GPS was a bit lost on some moments.

Cache was very very wet, but the waterproof paper was still useable.

#4246 @1230
Up in Nelson again, visiting my parents. My mission for the day was to collect some information at the Gridiron Shelter for a Christchurch Multi. A glorious day to be out in the bush. I cycled in - just over half an hour. After collecting the required info and finding a cache near there, I headed back. 40 mins to here from Gridiron. This cache was a good excuse to stop. Soon located. It was full of water - just as well it was waterproof paper. I've been here many times over the years, and but never tire of coming here. TFTC.

TFTC

Nice walk by and grap. Also signed the hut intentions book to state that this hut is worth being here! Nice place it is!

If it weren't for the hint it wouldn't have been a find. Coordinates were taking me in other directions. Nice to have a find at our lunch stop which we shared with and American who had done 5 tramps and was planning on finishing his NZ trip by walking the Abel Tasman. A great day to be out and about in the park. TFTC.

It was a beautiful day so we decided to chase a few caches in this direction. Went straight for the hint with this one which was just as well as for some reason my phone was still saying 18m at GZ. TFTC

found this with E E on our way home from trapping glad the local tramping club is maintaining this hut.

A quick find with Gryke, at the end of a day checking a Friends of Flora trap line. Replaced sodden log with something more waterproof.

TFTC

Log very wet, tried to leave a mark. sorry no time to dry it out as I was passing through

Quick find on the way out from Salisbury Lodge. TFTC

Second of five caches on a two day tramp. TFTC.

[green] Down in Motueka for a family Christmas get together. Sister says we should go tramping, so her family (cacher Bijouxtoo) and I head to Salisbury Hut. And boy, did we ever pick the right time!
Everything was in flower - hebes, gentians, eyebrights, kanuka, mountain daisies, even saw three varieties of orchid. Even the carnivorous sundews were in flower! Bright purple and basket mushrooms, and some little yellow ones growing straight out of a wall. Master 7 claimed he was the first to see the basket mushrooms, so we named them after him - Basket Mushroom Sebastionii. There were robins at our feet, bellbirds in the trees, strange and weird huts. Even the weather looked after itself.
The car park was full. We only got a spot because someone else was leaving as we arrived. Despite that we saw very few people on the track.
This cache is a nice easy find although a rather excessive 11m from coordinates (had to use the hint). Had about 200ml of water in it so we were unable to sign the log. Drained the water out.

My first tramp in the Nelson region. Have to come back sometime. Photos!

Yay!

Last cache of the day on a tramp up Mt Arthur, then Winter Peak, and back via the loop track and Flora Hut. This one took me far longer to find than it should have thanks to my multiple interpretations of the hint, but at least I got it eventually. Had a talk to an interesting lady at the hut, she was a member of the Friends of Flora and was there to capture kiwi and change their radiolocation devices (needs doing yearly). All volunteer work, fascinating! Signed the cache log, TFTC

Did a loop walk so got here from Marblelous Beach. The GPS took us to the middle of a grassed area and it was drizzly so checked out the hint. Part one was enough - it suggested an obvious spot a few metres away. Took Mrs SoBad a bit longer to find than it should - when she moved a few cm it was there. Took a TB. Thanks.

Busy at Flora Hut, tough to find privacy for the hunt. Dropped off Rock Hopper.

Found on our wat to the Karamara River. TFTC

good to stay, rest and search for the cache
TFTC

Mrs Rev and a Revlet found this on a Scout Tramp

Quick find while having a snow ball fight with Magpiy.TFTC

Quick find while up here in the snow with the kids.TFTC

Nobody home this morning in either of the apartments. Dawn had broken and a weka was enjoying the rain with me. Now. Up. gulp. TFTC.

Nice resting spot after 4 days tramping over Easter weekend.

Nice walk in to this cache on a sunny day thanks

Spent a night in the hut and enjoyed a roaring fire.
Coordinates were a little way off and we spent a while looking as we didn't bring the clues.

Had a cache idea for the local area on the walk in.

A nice easy find after my mountain guide tried to kill my sore ankle getting here. His body is buried half way down the track from Arthur Hut.

A good day out once again thanks for the company and the cache.

Checked cache with Kiwi Explorer today. All is well. Hmm, yes well I thin the terrain rating reflects coming here the hard way.. via the Mt Arthur Hut.

Arrived at the welcome calm of Flora Hut after being blown off the mountain.
A fellow hiker comes up to me and asks if I own xxxxx car [?]
Yes?
Do I have my keys [?] I bl...y hope so finding them in my pack.
Well we found a set on the ground next to the car. They work!! We unlocked the car to get pen and paper to write you a note so you could find where we hid them[^]! I'd thoughtfully left a pad on the seat for them having previously worked out the nearby multi.
It turned out that Ms M didn't have hers.
Decided to introduce three generations to geocaching as a thank you. Mum and son seemed pretty keen. Had heard about it before but never quite understood until I handed her the GPS and sent them off to fetch.
Told them about the event next weekend, so hopefully we will have a new caching family in town. Granny was talking about a GPS for a birthday present
Funny how things work out in the middle of nowhere.
TFTC

Decided it was a good time to take the walk up the hill and do this on the way to MT Aurthur. A lot of people were logged in DOC track book going up there so decided we would head round the long way after completing ths cache.
A great little hut and by the looks of it well used. When we got here a family of four had fire going keeping the younguns warm. Not the warmest of days and after the cloud free days lately we have overcast and cool.
Cache was in good order and dry and found with ease. TFTC

Out for a bit of a day tramp in an area we have not ventured before was good to see that the hut is so well used - the weather wasnt really playing ball but we decided to continue on to Cloustons Mine co-ords bought us quite close but wouldnt settle clues helped with the find thanks for bringing us here signed log

Found this one using the clue other wise hope would have been lost tftc

TFTF. Good GPS coverage in the area

Had to use the clues to find this one, GPS coordinates not to great, leaves you standing in the middle of grass area.
Well hidden

Found by the kids using the clue . thanks

I have been reliably informed that the cache is safely back in place.

Cache currently in the hands of another geocacher that inadvertently removed it... Will re-enable cache when they put it back.

Whoops! Visiting a friend and got talking about geocaching. They then showed me this cache. So it is temporarily out of order until he can return it. Trying to do so ASAP. Contact me if any problems

Found at the end of a great 8 day tramp

Popped by for a look on my way to Gridiron Huts and Cloustons Mine. All's well here. Updated hint too.

Found on a family tramp to Flora hut. Mum , Dad and Fin (4) and Angus (6).Very lovley place would like to see further into the park some time. Kids enjoyed sliding down the hill behind the hut on their bums. Dad enjoyed the open fire in the hut.

yeah well.... nearly at the hut from Arther, realised I had dropped my bivvy . Back up, nearly to the hut to retreive it! I was glad for a wee rest down here!!

One tramper in the hut, who then walked with me to Cloustons track.

number 6 for the day
thanks

Found when heading into Grid Iron Biv. Stayed night at Flora Hut.
Great spot for the old and young

Nice walk into hut. SL TFTC.