Giant of the Forest (Auckland) Waitakere, North Island, New Zealand
By funkymunkyzone on 07-Mar-09. Waypoint GC1NCVW

Just like lots of things in life, at some point the end must come.

I would be extremely surprised if this cache had gone missing as there is absolutely zero chance of it being found accidentally or being washed away.

Very impressive giants here. I got to the area and did an initial search without finding anything. I saw that there was a string of DNFs before me, so even though I did continue to look in a few more spots, I really didn't pursue this one too hard. DNF.

No luck for me here today.

Nooo! After all that effort we couldn't find it either will be back - if we can find an easier route...

Couldn't find today. A lovely gentleman caught me on my knees & told me not much further but lots more stairs to come so thought I better call it a day and carry on onwards & upwards

ohhhhh the stairs up to this one almost killed me. I really need to get fitter. After spending around 30 minutes in a wet pathway looking all under the place no luck. Just as well I had no muggles interrupt me because it would have looked like I was mysteriously praying to some Kauri Tree gods.
Will have to do an Arni on this one and say "I'll be back"

Out for a nice walk in the sun to clear the cobwebs...such a nice park this is. arrived at GZ and had a good look around from a vertical and horizontal view. The giant was watching over as this was done, looking all magnificent with the sun shining through its arms....then presto the cache was found. All was well apart from some surface impressions on the limbs from searching...thanks!!

out for a morning walk in the area and this seemed like a nice logical place to have a lay down in the morning sun.. even better now they have constructed a nice surface to lay on.. always was a good spot, if not a bit damp... With the appriopate spot found near by.. it was an easy backwards long arm reach to have it on deck. NOTE.. you do not need to leave the track nor do you need to go any where near our Giant of the forest:-)

Spent a lot of time looking (cos it took long enough to get here ) but didn't find it.

Took a while but was eventually found.

With the weather clearing from the big storm last night it was time to stretch the legs so what better way than to knock this one of the list. With Kw12 the cache was located after a bit of searching. Quite a few mugglers passing today.

Due the bad weather down south our night kayak trip was cancelled. We decided to enjoy instead the cloudy Auckland weather out on a hike. Enjoyed the Giant at GZ and made an easy grab. TFTC

Knowing about Kauri dieback I really didn't want to leave the track so posted Mrs FriwiNZ and Master FriwiNZ at strategic points to avoid people seeing me laying on the boardwalk. Took quite some time but eventually spotted it TFTC

Great weather today & was keen for a walk that would give me the added bonus of collecting some caches along the way. Haven't done much hiking in the Waitakeres and was surprised just how much boardwalk & metalled track is in place around here. Presumably the long sections of boardwalk & steps are to protect tree roots & it did let me focus more on my surroundings & on the bird life, less on my feet! So many tui & kereru today: it was awesome. Followed the cascade track anti-clockwise &, with the boarded sections & steps, made better time than I was expecting. Had to outwait a few muggles near GZ who were catching their breath after all the steps & then a quick swoop to sign the log & replace the cache before the next lot arrive. Now, onward to complete the circuit! TFTC

Nice quiet day for a walk in the Waitakeres. Managed to retrieve the cache without getting off the track. TFTC.

Took a while to locate. Made every effort not to step off the track to get this one but can imagine others not necessarily doing the same.

A lovely day out with the Juniors. The cache is in great condition. Picked up a couple of unlogged TB's so will move them on. TFTC.

Wow I was amazed by the board walk and steps ! New to me ! Soooo pleased we were heading down !!!!! Lovely Forest Giant ! TFTC

Now we're pretty sure we approached this one from the wrong end. We came up from the cascades Auckland city walk and up the lovely new stairs. I think it might have been less of a workout if you came via the dam. We had no reception on our phones so had no clues, just had to go on gps and the cache title and hope for the best. The Tia's got horizontal and cache was discovered much to the joy of all of us! TFTC!!

Fantastic walk but be prepared for the stairs, they seemed never ending (especially with a 3 year old on my back!). So worth it when we finally got there but be aware that there's no cell phone reception so you need to save it so you can access the details offline.

Searched all around the Kauri tree for this one but after getting cut multiple times by the cutting grass we decided to move on.

Found originally as part of rebel98 team, now created own account, re-logging as rustynz

See rebel98 log below. Legs are a failing, but they need to keep going, no helicopter rescue in here, its all going to be on foot. Thanks again for the hide.

Thanks for the hide. We were lying on the track, using the clue for assistance. Hidden near is what we seek, log book signed, we now retreat. Amazing place, we came from the Upper Kauri track, on our way to the Montana heritage trail, but plans changed, and the caches are now in our sights. Lots of Kauri to keep us motivated.

Out and about for a spot of afternoon caching in the rain. If you are going to cache in the wet you might as well make it a bush walk! Certainly got some desired exercise climbing the stairs to GZ. Met some fellow hikers coming down in the pouring rain, "Great day for it" I greeted them with. Great views of the rain falling over the forest from GZ. Cache took a long time to locate as the GPSr was all over the place. Got there in the end. Cheers for the cache placement!

Number 3 for the afternoon

I certainly got my 'step cardio exercise' in today with the climb up to this magnificent giant from the Anderson Track intersection. The council have very recently installed stairs and boardwalk over what used to be a steep slippery muddy slope up to and on past the giant all the way up to the Simla Track intersection. That construction must have taken a team of carpenters many weeks to put in place. If anyone intends to visit the Giant then I recommend that they travel clockwise around the loop to the Giant. Unfortunately, though I spent about 20 mins looking, I couldn't find the cache. If the hide was in that hole under the Giant then it isn't there now. (My GZ was 4m up the track from the tree). The hollow log a further 5m up the track was also bare. From the age of the cache I think I am certain in thinking that it would NOT be under the brand new boardwalk- the carpenters would have been working there and have deposited most of their rubbish offcuts, plastic bags etc under the boardwalk.[:(!].

Out with 6 year old grandson ,so let him do the low work.
New steps make progress a lot easier than old mud slide. TFTC

Search high and low and could not find. Found a spot where my gps co ordinates mached those of the destination. Looked like a great place to hide it but to no avail could not find. Help?

Cache check - was prepared to replace logbook but it still had plenty of room.

We were part of a group of Cachers who ventured in this area in hunt for a FTF. Those in the group that had not found this cache took a little detour and headed up the track to GZ. It was a rather steep climb and by the time we hit GZ the heart was really pumping. Quick find. Contents of the cache was dry. TFTC.

Quickly found with mike-miss and rosmar. A massive climb to get here. We had to be careful as the track and steps were rather muddy. Thanks!

After our efforts on a group FTF nearby, a couple of us headed up to grab this one. After the recent rain, it was a steep, slippery climb to GZ. The cache was quickly found and the logbook still nice and dry. We signed the log and headed off for just a few more before calling it a morning. TFTC!

Found orginally as part of phasevisitor team, now created own account, re-logging as yorkshirekiwi83.

Decided to head out for a walk this morning, before the forecast bad weather was due to arrive - we may have been a bit late as the heavens opened when we were at this cache! Found the cache after a short search and admired the nearby giants, before retreating back down the hill. Thanks for the cache!

Decided to head out for a walk this morning, before the forecast bad weather was due to arrive - we may have been a bit late as the heavens opened when we were at this cache! Found the cache after a short search and admired the nearby giants, before retreating back down the hill. Thanks for the cache!

#1261, Liked the trail, kids loved all the big trees, cool hide, TFTC

GPS said GZ me was a hollow log ... I so wanted the cache to be in the log, lying on the track with my arm in there up to the shoulder, thinking ... glad there aren't any nasty bitey things in NZ!
took a bit more ferreting around to come up with the correct location .. but got there eventually!
nice hide ... tftc !!!!

Took family and friends on a loop walk from Falls Rd up Anderson Tk, Trainline Walkway and back down Fence Line Tk. Found without too much trouble and the group did not get too far ahead.

You're right about those unsuspecting hikers who just pop up out of no where! Nice hide and a good place for us to drop off a travel bug we'd picked up in Tokyo a few days ago. TFTC

on your knees TNLNSL

This entry was edited by brentpercy on Saturday, 12 January 2013 at 09:18:53 UTC.

A beautiful tree - pleased to have a rest after slogging up the hill through the mud. t4tc

Very cleverly hidden beautiful tree lets hope kauri dieback doesn't get to it. Found with my eyes!!! Luckily otherwise I may of missed it, took me five minutes. The track is very muddy after a lot of rain but worth it. Time to clean my shoes . TFTC

Magnificent Kauri tree!! Spent about 10 mins searching for the cache once I reached the GZ before finally locating it. Nicely hidden. TNLN, TFTC.

One half of the team was out for trail run training in the area - an 8km run/ramble and stopped by for a quick check here.

Found while out on a walk up to the dam on an inclement morning

Plenty stairs!

Glad we found it eventually after all those stairs. Great views! TFTC

We didn't find it, but we were a bit tired at the end of a long hike, so we didn't search very long.

Nice spot! Dropped off Laura's Star - 504008.

Out for the day with Mum & Dad to do the Auckland City Walk. We had started up the track to this cache (even though there was a sign saying 'closed due to wash out', we hoped we could get to where we thought he cache was, before we got to the wash out. Although we didn't come across the wash out, we didn't make it to the cache either. About 125m away (direct line of course) we got to some very slippery, muddy steps. Unfortunately, as we hadn't planned for more than the city walk, Mum only had sandles on, and to continue would have been dangerous. If we ended up having to call for help due to an injury, and having to explain that we were on a closed tramping track, in not suitable footwear... just didn't want to go there! We'll be back!

Another nice hide while completing the loop track. Thanks

Clever hide. TFTC.

Last time I walked these tracks was about 30 years ago and the forest is just as appealing. Nice placement for the cache.

Thanks, Enjoyed the search. NTNL

Cunning hiding spot. No muggles today - perhaps the mud put them off. TFTC

These trees surely are a wonderful sight and well worth the walk, although today they were just a quick stop on the way to bigger things
Must come back and do some more tracks in this area. tftc

Out for a stroll in the late evening with evilno9 and we tossed up whether to go for this one or not as daylight was gone, however glad we made the decision to go for it. Good slog up the track, and after a good dig around the cache was located. Then outwards before being locked in for the night. Great spot for a cache and an great evening all round. TFTC!

I can imagine that this one would be rather nasty to do in the middle of winter. We had no such problems though it was definitely a climb the legs will remember for a little while at least. Found this one in near darkness after a short search and a re-read of the description. Helpful thing that.... TFTC

Found on recent scout walk

Found it on a way through the ranges...
nice spot by the kauris...but many muggles at the weekend ...

cheers...

Out for an evening walk with the aim of listening to the birds, unfortunately the most dominant seemed to be the cockatoo's. This is really a nice bit of the park. TFTC

Off to do a few more out in the far west this morning. This was the third one, and, last one to find in this great patch of bush. There are some magnificient specimens left to admire.

I had to stop at the shop halfway up and tried to buy some Titoki seed oil, to massage into my sore joints and muscles, but they were all out stock.

I was muggled by another runner who was going to do the 3 hour loop of up the Fenceline Track and back down the Upper Kauri Track to the carpark.

Cheers for the cache.

Nice saturday out in the Waitakeres with Gadget-tron.
Tracks were pretty muddy and slippery.
Nice big trees.
Thanks for bring us here.
TFTC

What a hectic walk up to GZ. Those stairs seemed to go on forever. The mud was almost knee deep in places so had to be careful. What a awesome tree and the view is great up here. TFTC

Heading up the track as the sun was getting very low, passed a couple of foreign backpackers who were very concerned that I was heading in as it was getting dark. Explained to them that this was the best time of day to tend to my crops and they left me alone

Just got the last rays of sun on the trees while I signed the log, and the bird calls echoing through the quiet forest on the way back was worth every step of the mud slog. T4TC

A busy part of the track to be searching.

Almost didnt find - perfect spot in the end 4 the cache. Grabbed my american coin I accidently placed last year.

Big Trees

Nice place to come and blow the cobwebs today.

TFTC

18:03 - Went for a walk after work with Snow the wonder Dog, and wow it was a work out climbing up that hill. Must get a bigger dog that can drag me up the hills

Once at GZ had a rest and then went looking for the cache, cache wasn't the first place I looked, did take a bit of looking but found in a place that was screaming out for a cache.

Was going to find your other cache here, but night was coming in and thought I had better get back to the car.

Thanks for the cache.

Left: The American/New Zealand Connection Geocoin
Picked up: Wooded Idol TB

Logged in BJC Family TB for the mileage and photos

What a great spot for a hide. Took us a while to find it, and eventually did on the SECOND check in the same place. TFTC

Wow. An awesome Tree. Thank you for showing me this Place.
TFTC MacBanger

Found with kache cat and bush navigator.Well hidden.Great walk, trees and history.
T4TC!!

Found with Kache cat and Kache rat. Had a great day doing a circuit round Auckland City Walk, Anderson's, Tramline, Waitakere Dam, Saddle Dam, Fenceline, Cascade Track and back. This was the only cache where we had to contend with muggles. Not really a problem as we pretended to be having a rest stop TNLNSL. T4TC.

Out for a Loooong hike in the woods today!
In a Cow, Out Nothing,
Thanks for the Cache.

(Find # 76)

we were last here about 20 years ago & lots of improvments to the track. We're so glad you didn't use the obvious hole in the tree. In - wooded idol TB ; out - nil. TFTC

Great family walk, great hiding place, the clue helped a lot. Dad's first find as kids all too scared to do what clue hinted at. TFTC

#2790
Many thanks for showing us a Giant of the Forest. Enjoyed the up close encounter and great views on offer.
TNLNSL, TFTC

Enjoyed the walk up and the gorgeous Auckland day. Lovely Kauris in this area, excellent reason for coming up here. TFTC

darn, that track isn't any less steep than the last time I was up it. Nice hide!

TFTC, - geocoin.

Very popular today - I took the last available car park! No one followed me up here though.
T4TC - M@

Another great specimen of Kauri not the biggest I have scene but it is up there. Quick find, TFTC

In: Butterfly's #2 Fluttershy Blue Geocoin

Dropping off bugs for mileage

Have been waiting to see these amazing trees. So impressive! Great walk. On vacation from St Louis Missouri USA. TFTC

Today, we wanted to do some training for our 6 day hike in April on the Routeburn/Greenstone track. So we loaded our backpacks with some ballast and headed for this wonderful area to have a look at the track along the reservoir we were not able to walk the last time. How convenient to have two new caches on the way.
It took us some time at the giant. And it took some courage to reach into that deep hole at the root system. Too bad it's not in there. Great view from up here, even in the spitting rain.
TNLNSL, TFTC

These huge Kauri trees are amazing we enjoyed a nice walk in sunny weather in their shade. The cache was well hidden.

Two FTF's on the same day - a first for us. Kiwicouple's First to Find Geocoin and First Time Geocoin visiting.

Joint FTF with Kiwifeet .
We saw this cache and 'Danger Mr Anderson' come up on the computer last night, so decided to try for a couple of FTF's with Kiwifeet.
On up, up, UP the hill from our first success, and there was the Giant. After a bit of searching, being mindful that we were not supposed to leave the path, another cache was in hand. No way were we going to leave without finding it after climbing all those stairs! Nice hiding spot. Opened it up and YES another joint FTF with Kiwifeet .
Magnificent kauri trees up here. Thanks for the incentive to do this walk.
Took the Takahe Geocoin.
Dropped off the Shellback TB

# 161

Up, up and up I went for this one. The guardian was most impressive; the cache took some searching though.
Lots of muggles around today.
Thanks for the cache!

Just adding a note to drop off Shellback TB. Did not have correct tracking number earlier.

The second of our Waitakere Ranges cache finds today - and second FTF with Kiwicouple. Phew, that is some hike up the stairs. I'd walked this track to the dam with my sister a couple of years ago, but forgotten just how high it was. Thanks for the reminder!
Good hiding spot.
Took Takahe Geocoin.
#150

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