Defending NZ - Kau Pt Bty (Wellington) Karaka Bay, North Island, New Zealand
By huhugrub on 05-Apr-09. Waypoint GC1PJPT

Wishing I packed my boots for this one. My trainers didn't quite end up as clean as they entered. Still a lovely day working on clearing off this part of town. Thanks

Have been walking/exploring around this interesting area a few times now so was a straight forward find here. Approached from the other cache nearby and through the friendly cows. Many thanks for the placement huhugrub.

Really hard to find out in the cow fields

Really should've had lunch by now, oh well. Found this thanks to the hint, then exasperated myself getting back to the road like a crow. Glad to be back at the car!

Beautiful day and sick of looking out the office window, so headed out to stretch the legs and get some fresh air. Not been as far up as here before and great views. Thanks for the cache.

Easy find despite some grown Camo. An interesting walk to get here as I came from the Scorcher Bay side with a few fences to finesse but assuming all is fine. Tftc

Yayy we found it! Definitely felt tricky-ish, especially as no finds for 7 months, but not too bad in the end. Absolutely fascinating history here, and telephone box now unoccupied and explorable. Amazing it's in such good condition for its age. Log a bit damp, tried to dry it out slightly before replacing.Thanks so much for bringing us up here!

The log is a bit damp, also the coordinates were a bit off but the hint made it an easy find. TFTC

I had it in my head that this was difficult to get to. But from the other cache just along from here one just follows the track. Although getting onto that track wasn't super obvious especially with a lot of cows in the way and I started off on the track a bit higher up before noticing that my GPS showed me following the wrong one. A quick clamber down the bank onto the right track followed by a straightforward walk to GZ.

On arrival my GPS took me to a clearing above the fort (probably inside now that I think about it) which was not lining up with the hint. Was the cache moved and I have the old coords? Did a refresh on my phone and was redirected to a different spot. The prescriptiveness of the hint, however, made short work of the find. The log seems fine and signable but just a bit "soft" and difficult to roll back into a form that fits into the cache. So it took me a while to get that right and screw it back together. All good in the end.

Great to have finally made it to this cache after so long. Thanks for bringing me here.

Came up here on a perfect evening... not too hot, not too cold, not boggy at all, place to ourselves... no clouds in the sky. Parked beside loads of fishing people at the bottom. Thanks for the interesting info and a great walk! FP given. All good at the cache. TFTC

Nice find

Been wanting to cross this one off for a while tftc

Found it. Don't look at the hint. Big spoiler.

I had been up in Wanganui for the first half of what has turned out to be a highly successful geocaching long weekend, with the knowledge that Monday was an extra weekend day. Gotta love a long weekend where the weather is good enough for geocaching but not so good it brings out the masses. Now I was back in Wellington, it was Monday, and it was time to go and collect some of the local caches that were on my todo list. This was one of them.

I've tried a few times to get to this one. Initially I wasn't even sure how to get here. Then, once I figured that out my way was blocked by cows, and then the reports of the new resident kept me away. Now that the cache has been relocated I have finally made my way here and had no problem finding the cache and signing the clean fresh log sheet.

Thanks to the CO for placing this cache and bringing me up here.

Coordinates changed from:
S 41° 17.413 E 174° 49.869

Coordinates changed to:
S 41° 17.399 E 174° 49.872

Distance from original: 86.5 feet or 26.4 meters.

Old GZ is currently under occupation. Has moved 26 metres away ... now on the main track.

New cache now in place at new location a short distance away. It has been downsized to a micro. Updated hints.

GZ has been occupied. Reassessing for relocation nearby.

The area around the cache is fenced off and someone is still actively staying here. Cache may need archived as unable to access the location

Loves this spot, never even knew all this was here, only have time for this cache but will be back

Unfortunately after the trek there did not find this one, someone has set up a home there including a kitchen sink.

I feel I was in the right place and looking where the geo cache once was, however feel this may have been removed by the new home owner.

Looking for the cache. Looks like someone has set up living there. Might come back at a later date

Didn't read logs before trying this one, had a chat with the person there and they are DOC fixing up the bunker as well as planning actual marked tracks to the bunker. They said it would be a wee while before it will be all done up so may be a tough one to try get.

Hmm. Somebody has set up a very tidy camp at the telephone room, right on top of GZ. Didn't feel right going in and possibly disturbing their stuff. Will watch, and return another day.

What a fascinating place! Thanks for getting me here! Took a rather long cut to get there where I came back down much more directly. Heading off as rain starting to set in

Challenge but worth it!!!! No wonder no one has found it since March!!!!!

Great spot for a geocache, peaceful and shady after a hot walk in the sun. Took a little bit of searching before the cache was found, but it was in the area where I was sure it would be. Interesting reading the history in the cache description. TFTC

This was our favourite of the day. Very nice walk from Massey Memorial. So close to the city and not a soul in sight. Very will hidden little bunker, would have never learned about its history if it wasn't for geocaching, TFTC.

A short detour down the ridge and along a nice pine needle laced trail, many thanks for this trip down to a peaceful place which shows a little of New Zealand’s war time defences- enjoyed the walk, and the cache thanks!

Gorgeous spot to contemplate a piece of NZ military history just a day after ANZAC day. Nearly gave up looking for the site until we saw some flat concrete. Tftc

Have been up in this reserve before but never to this point. Found with Geobecky8 yesterday. We then made our way down the gully to the road and the start of the sidle track to the next geocache. Made a nice loop on a sunny Wellington day. TFTC

Cool spot, took geoharry8 and I about 8 minutes to find, cache itself is in good condition. TFTC huhugrub!

Out for an evening stroll to stretch my legs in the glorious sunshine. Headed down from the prison and initially was going to head towards GZ before I reached the old military road. Glad I thought better of that way and followed the main road to the gate instead. Much easier terrain. Got right to where the compass was saying ~6m before spotting the cool area. Very neat! It took quite awhile to find the cache but I was so glad when I shuffled the leaf litter and spotted it. Signed the logbook and then when I returned it, dug a bit deeper and found the original cache! Messaged huhugrub and let them know. New logbook is now in original cache (400ml sistema) and newer cache has been removed. TFTC- great hidden gem.

Geez, had never seen miramark scream with utter joy when I pulled this out of the hole. His tears of joy and happy sobbing really made this one memorable!

7 November 2018 at 13:28

Words failed me as a sweaty jerry_nz emerged victorious with the cache in hand after what felt like a long search. We thought we were searching in the wrong spot but persistence paid off. It felt satisfying to find this after posting DNF a couple of years ago. TFTC

Very pleased to tick this off! I came up here a few weeks ago and was muggled out! I had split my time between where my GPSr led me and the obvious place, and came up empty handed (till the muggles turned up). Today I focused on the obvious place, and I also used previous logs to help me. It still took me 15 minutes to find - in fact, I was right on my give-up time when I had one last feel around, and I made the find. It was a long way in and round a corner, well covered. No chance of being found by accident there! As I said, very pleased and relieved as well. Thanks Huhugrubs!

Phew bit of a search but found in the end. Hint and cache all good. TFTC EP NP EP FF and herc the geodogtracker. 3rd of the day for the first of the new year 2018

Just about managed to get on the wrong path after leaving the previous cache. Then almost lapped the base before scrambling up to the installation - then all became clear.

Another cacher had posted a "Needs Maintenance" log to this listing in error. They have since deleted that entry.

A Favourite Point awarded for showing me another piece of our history. Thanks for this one Huhugrub - a very private spot indeed, as expected for such a tactical location with strategic value - I'd bet that it would have been a high value target during any invasion!

Thanks for another smilie. All good at GZ.

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Thanks to the Cache Owner who has gone to the trouble of creating this cache, determining the coordinates and then averaging them to make sure they are accurate, placing the cache and registering it online for our enjoyment. Without Cache Owners doing their bit, there wouldn't be a fun hobby that we all love - so again a big THANK YOU. For our bit, all we need to do is find and log the cache that was carefully placed for our personal enjoyment. As we log it we should consider that the Cache Owner also needs to maintain it - when the log sheet fills up, they must replace it. When the container becomes full of water, they need to empty it. When the container is broken, they need to repair it. When it goes missing they need to find or replace it. Well..... the great news is we can do our bit too - make sure your log doesn't take an entire page - just a name and date. If full of water, empty and dry the cache as best as possible. Be careful when handling the cache and make sure you replace it where you found it. If it has a bag, seal it. Just remember - the Cache Owner showed respect to you by placing the cache - please respect them and fellow cachers that follow you by being careful with the cache. And if you have a spare log sheet and the cache you are at needs one, please leave it behind. Finally, if the cache does need maintenance, please let the Cache Owner know - you can log a Maintenance Log or you can drop a line to the Cache Owner. Above all - have fun and remember the Geocaching Code.

A bit rusty today...took me more than 2 minutes to find . Tftc. HOTA

Great afternoon to grab a few caches, and a whole lot of photos of Wellington from this area. Unfortunately the cattle beasts on the farm here have read the cache description and have taken to using the old military road for themselves, so it was a bit boggy in places (along with quite a few cow-pats). I never knew these defences were placed here, so thanks for the local history lesson. Quick find once I got to the GZ, log is in very good condition. (I wasn't able to grab the cache at the Mt Crawford battery as there were too many muggles enjoying the beautiful day and views - will have to come back for that one.) *TFTC huhugrub #191*

Third attempt at this one! After being confused by the 'nestled' clue which involved quite a bit of climbing we searched a bit lowered and finally found it! Thank goodness for that! Love the caches in this area. Thanks

TFTC

Took the 'direct' route up from bottom on north side through trees Great visiting these relics again. TFTC huhugrub.

Found with sausage legs

Fabulous spot. Very mystical magical. Found with persistence n logic re. Pine needles

I've been waiting for the CO to confirm that this was available, so today I made an excursion out of two coastal forts on the peninsula. After a successful visit to Fort Ballance I followed the track up around the hillside. There's some secretive and heavily fenced building that has blocked the track a couple of hundred metres from Fort Ballance but there is a narrow path alongside the fence that is passable with care. I crossed a low fence and continued up a rather muddy path with recent signs of cattle.

Then the fun began. I'd expected something more extensive, along the lines of Fort Ballance or Mount Crawford Battery but no. GPS said I was within 20 metres of GZ but there was no visible sign of a fort, or battery, or anything. I pressed on and clambered up a bank and into an open area. GPS put me within 10 metres of GZ and still nothing was visible. Only once I got to about 5 metres from GZ did the location become apparent. (How on earth did Huhugrub find this place?)

Having breathed a sigh of relief that I didn't have a malfunctioning GPS unit I searched the obvious location but found nothing. I tried a few locations nearby without success, then returned to my initial searching point but from above. One foot slipped thigh-deep down a hole so I abandoned that idea.

Eventually, I located the cache where I'd first looked, but rather more of a stretch than I'd expected.

It's amazing to see how high the pine trees on the nearby slopes are. They completely block any view of the harbour so they've clearly grown to that height since the post was decommissioned.

Signed the new log book, and FP awarded for the adventure. TFTC!

Yah! Finally found it. Tftc.

Replaced cache (now a 200ml Sistema). Added more hints.

I wish I had checked the logs before heading up this way...I still dutifully searched though.

Will check when we return from overseas in mid June.

Second try, we brought a torch,but alas could not find looked in the obvious spot,but nothing.

Please can some one verify this is in place , as no one has found it recently.

Looked in all obvious places but to no avail. No one else around. A great little place

Had a good look around but alas we couldn't find this one. Great walk though

Couldn't find it today, phone died too, we will be back.

We had a nice walk around the hill to this one, skilfully avoiding the cattle. Got to the GZ OK, but, alas, could not find the cache. Last found Oct 15, so not sure if we are poor geocachers, or that the cache is gone...

Ooh, this was well hidden! Good stroll to this cache.

Tftc

Bit of a hike to get here, but determined to find it! TFTC

Found this one after quite a hike. We kept going far past and swung right up the hill and back down again. Very muddy, looks like the cows have been moved recently along Old Military Road. Made for a vety satisfying find! Thanks for the cache!

Sneaky hide, didn't know this was here! Thanks

Found it again as there were a few new ones in the area Thanks again for the cache!

Had a pen this time so dropped by to sign the log. Very muddy after the past few days

Found it but pencil long gone and forgot to carry a pen so couldn't sign log. TNLN

Cache # 2,531 - had looked at doing this months ago but several DNFs made me leery of doing a long hike to not find anything. Pleasantly surprised when I looked again this week and saw several finds. Took the option to come from Fort Ballance Road. As mentioned by previous cachers, a pretty level, not-strenuous way. However there is a spot where I felt I needed to cling onto the outside of a fence to make sure I didn't fall down the cliff face, had to climb over two fences, and sank up to my ankles twice each way in mud. A little under 3 km round-trip, which I managed in an hour.

Cache took a little while to find. In the obvious spot, but well hidden, and several metres out from where my GPS wanted me to be. Without the cache location I never would have noticed this structure at all. The way to the cache was done entirely in the dark (the joys of morning caches in the winter), and I was startled at the second fence when what I thought were reflectors moved. Two cows (not Kaus) grazing. Fortunately pretty placid but fascinated by this strange creature with a torch shining from the forehead.

Cache in good shape. TNLNSL. Thanks for the cache, the location and the history.

God trek today with deonrocks and twistiedog. Walked further on to get to the old war bunkers. Would have liked to have explored more but nighttime set in. TFTC, was good to get outdoors

Found this one in the dark while doing the night trail.

This one took a while to find. Was previously unsuccessful but after seeing GSEL's recent log we felt a bit more encouragement. Like the previous finder, it was in the first area we looked. We just didn't look close enough! Ended up finding it by feel. What a great little spot. Would have never known about it otherwise. It was well worth the walk up. Tftc!

#686. I had time for one more cache today and decided it would be good to get this one done as we missed doing it on a previous visit caching in this area. My initial idea was to walk directly up from Mahanga Bay but the terrain looked a bit nasty. So instead opted to climb up Fort Ballance Road to the top and follow the flat track to the cache. Its a reasonable open route though you have to skirt past a few fences and avoid muddy sections in places. Either wear boots or scramble around over the mud. The old battery itself was an interesting place to visit. The cache took quite a while to locate. Of course it finally turned up in the very first place I had checked but as I had not done a thorough search I had to do my penance by looking in a lot of other sites. Eventually plucked it from its hiding spot, signed the log and back to car via the same path. TFTC

Smashed this one out with my cousin who was visiting from the UK, she was a little miffed by it all but soon got into it. A good search for this one as well. Many thanks. #35

Took a luttle bit of finding but got there in the end. Thanks, great spot.

A brisk walk on from the Mt Crawford cache in this series, and found after a bit of a look, a check of the clue and then a quick find.

Have been to quite a few of these sites previously, but didn't know about this one. Thanks for bringing use here.

saw where the cords pointed to but alas no cache was to be found

Looked everywhere but no luck, found a good place for a cache the kinda fits the description but still no.

Found it! Although no pencil so couldn't sign the log book. All in good order. Tftc!

Nice quick find at GZ. An unexpected morning of caching around the remaining traditionals on the Miramar Peninsula this morning. Have never been up here, so this was yet another "new" spot geocaching brought me to. Another nice little bit of military history up here. Really pleased to have come up here. Third of three caches collected up here.

TFTC!

Found the cache after a little search! Thanks for bringing us here Would never have spotted this little room otherwise!

What a lovely area thank you very much for bring myself and Wafflekitties up here gets a fave form me

Cool spot but very windy TFTC

Quick easy find, NOT!!!!! Lol big walk with little ones but great cache

This entry was edited by Awesome4sumnz on Saturday, 19 July 2014 at 07:03:22 UTC.

This has been on the list of Miramar Peninsula 'caches to do' for quite some time now. Today presented as the ideal opportunity to visit. The weather was perfect, still, sunny, midwinter magic. We took entirely the wrong route and ended up visiting Mt Crawford, the prison and more interestingly the community gardens (where munzees lurk!). After retracing steps, and properly reading the cache description, we got on the right track. Lots of 'fresh' evidence of stock, so we wondered if we would round a corner and be confronted by a mob of tense steers, or a herd of placid cows. As it transpired there was no sign of any stock.
The cache find was straightforward, all in order. As promised this brought us to an historic location and installation that we wouldn't otherwise have been unaware of.
Log signed, all good; TB retrieved, and cache re-hidden safely, as you would expect. No muggle presence of either animal or human kind.
TFTC found with team cacher Sweet P too
The Turtle strikes again!

Came up via Massey Memorial and Mt Crawford but took a detour uphill and down through a paddock of cattle and cow pats! Found the GZ and after a couple of minutes exploring found the cache. Followed the fence by the trees back to the fence gate junction where we headed off in the wrong direction to start with. About an hours round trip back to the shoreline carpark.

Find #1935. On a day of gale force N'westers, caching out on the peninsula was sure going to be a challenge. The harbour was whipped to a fury and by the end of the day, the car was soaked in sea spray. Took the unorthodox route of Fort Ballance Road, followed by farm track. Wouldn't recommend it unless it's been really dry. An easy walk but very boggy and muddy in places, and although no signs in evidence, may be private property. The wind was fair ripping through the pines trees - really noisy and potential for something to fall - on top of me! So worked quickly, located the cache and got out of there. Interesting spot, so many of these hidden around our shores. SL TFTC.

Walked from the Mt Crawford battery to this one. Enjoying a beautiful morning and the great views. Thanks huhugrub for this neatly placed cache and the interesting history, another favourite added.

Well hidden. A great spot that's off the beaten track

Thanks, today was nice day for a short geotour around Miramar

Checked cache. Unfortunately, Bobby was not in the cache.

Good hiding spot!

Awesome place

TFTC

TFTC

Found it after alot of looking TFTC

Spent a fair bit of time here searching around (understatement of the year...), but with no luck. I can't believe this area isn't more well looked after, it's an amazing piece of history.

I had a few hours to spare between flights on my way to Sydney via Wellington today so decided to head out and find a few caches. Continued on from the other gun emplacement cache to this one. Took a wrong turn and made my walk a bit longer than it needed to be. Finally got on the right (left) track and zeroed in on the cache. Nicely hidden and camo'd so it took a while to find. No signatures in the log book since 1/12/12. Happy to be able to add mine. TFTC, Biggles.

No hobbit here.

Wow what a awesome place.
Having lived around Wellington area all my life have never been up here.
Why did I wait so long.Do this cache.Views are fantastic.
Also got to see big , vacant set used on Hobbit films,well worth the walk.
Do this cache!!!

After Bens challenge also cut crosscountry to get to this cache. Very interesting structure. TFTC. Sherlock Hood.

Made my way to this one from the other Defending NZ geocache. No problem with the Hobbit set - looks to be all done and dusted. Interesting battery site to explore. TFTC.

Muggle free but beaut day. Thanks.