Atiwhakatu Hide (Wairarapa) The Pines, North Island, New Zealand
By frenchm on 07-Jun-09. Waypoint GC1TC82

Came up to the hut for lunch and found the cache before leaving to head back to Holdworth Lodge. The cache log is in a plastic bag with no container.

Nice quick find at the obvious place and thankfully not too busy here at midday.

Easy find and tried to cover a little . Busy place today Thanks

I wandered in to the hut and back just for a short walk today and decided to check on this cache whilst I was sitting in the sun. Muggles had found and logged it, but not replaced the cache properly in its hidey hole. As a consequence, the logbook was pretty soaked. I dried out the contents and replaced the cache as I recall it from when I made the find. A lovely day for a stroll before all the long weekend visitors arrived.

A quick find whilst we were having our breakfast. TFTC

Tftc out doing a loop up to mountain house shelter then down to Atiwhakatu hut for the night. Nice walk with victoriousone and mumandme.

Yay the hut! We came here via Mountain house shelter. Found the cache before settling in for the night. TFTC

The eleventh find for Miss Eight and me on our two-night tramp around the Holdsworth-Jumbo loop. Found just where the hint said, after a quick search. Thanks!

Found on an overnight tramp with friends to the Atiwhakatū Hut. This is the first time I’ve been tramping in this beautiful area. Found after we had arrived, claimed a bunk and had a quick dip in the river. TFTC

Totally enjoyed our time up here. Pretty busy at the hut today. But enough had left we were able to make the find. Glad to tick another hut off. Tftc.

Thanks for the cache!

Sorry for the delay in logging. I’m in the process of finally logging all my old finds.

Hard to locate this one as there were about 20 campers about about to walk out! But after waiting for them to pass our search was rewarded! Cache is a little wet but able to be signed!

Another one sitting out in the open, while on my way to jumbo. Tftc.

Nice easy one, TFTC!

Found it

Mum is helping me log all my caches that I haven't logged yet.Found with Mum (LL113) and Dad (GNARwhal) and one of my sisters (Gabzter13). The bridge to get to the hut was scary.

Good fun finding on a family bush walk!

Took the family into Atiwhakatu Hut for a 1 night stay. A few other muggle families staying also, searched a bit by torchlight after they had gone to bed but no luck, so made sure we were last to leave the site this morning.
A super quick find, and I’m sure I checked there twice last night!
Some cool trinkets so me and Miss 8 did swaps.
Only 1 muggle to avoid when I was replacing the cache. Hubby distracted him by showing him his stick (aka walking pole he had made ).
TFTC - a truly beautiful spot! Will be back again!

Found with Lissyloo113, Gabzter13 and UnicornLex

Found it TFTC!

Well Morgan, after many years I have finally got this one signed off. After visiting more than once with Te Runga I was always muggled here and never got the smiley. Today, with the huts all in lock down and the forest deserted I knew this would be my best chance at a find. I'm not sure if this cache is fully original or not but I was impressed with the condition it is in. That especially goes for the original and non-waterproof logbook which is now getting close to 11 years old. A very fine effort in this environment.
I'm going to assume searchSteve was responsible for the opsite dressing that has been added as swag D TNLNSL TFTC

Thanks frenchm for placing this cache and providing interesting information about the Atiwhakatu Hut.

I had a great walk in on Thurs evening - only one DNF and I was able to rectify that the next day.
The hut was quiet as there was only one fit muggle staying the night. The weather was good but the area really needs some decent rain.

Cache is in good condition TNLNSL TFTC

Summer Holiday Time yay! I'm spending 3 days tramping through the Tararuas around Mt Holdsworth.

Today we tramped up to Atiwhakatu Hut, making use of the slightly less windy conditions compared to yesterday, before making our way back to our campsite near Mt Holdsworth Station. I was the only cacher in our party, so I'm trying to grab as many as I can but if they are not a quick find then I have to give up on them in order to catch up with the others who will have moved on ahead of me.

This cache was my only successful find for the day. My GPS was bouncing around a bit due to the tree cover, leaving quite a lot of potential area to cover in a short time, but by systematically searching Hint items whilst my companions took a break I eventually found the cache. A quick sign of the log and then the cache was replaced and we started our tramp back to our campsite.

Thanks for placing this cache.

Busy weekend at the hut.... decided to go for a splash when we got there and by the time I got back fanfan-77 had found the cache and set about drying it out a bit. Nice spot and easy walk, popular with families. Nice to see an old cache still in play. TFTC

On a weekend tramp/hunt with sveppi and a muggle friend. These two were acting like it had been a hard day! One went to bed at 3 pm the other went for a wash at the river. I climbed the hill in search of deer sign. There wasn't a lot so we didn't insist on the hunting. On the way back to the hut I grabbed the cache. Nice to see it out there for 10 years. Also see the hut pictures on the cache page, looking a bit more worn these days but still in pretty good condition. Cache itself was a tad damp, I kept it inside to dry the logbook overnight and signed in the morning. Not quite dry yet but that's the best I could do. After 10 years out there I guess it's to be expected the container would be due for a replacement. TFTC

Found good

Walked in with the team for an overnight stay at the hut. Had a blast playing ukulele, cards and meeting interesting people. Stunning spot and the perfect tramp for the kids’ first overnighter. TFTC. Quick find before hitting the trail on the way out.

As per Skagas comments, great times, neat people, TFTC

Found with a group of Kelburn Scouts on our way up to Atiwhakatu Hut for the night. Nice hut - very different from the one that was here when I last came past! We arrived to find another scout group here (actually two scout groups combined) so we made it an inter-zone event. Along with another family here, we filled the hut to over capacity - luckily a few trampers preferred sleeping on the veranda or in the common room which meant everyone had somewhere to sleep. This was a straight forward find - in a very interesting looking hint object. TFTC.

My Scout Troop went to Atiwhakatu hut for a scout tramp and one of my Scouting friends found it! There was a geocoin in it - he has taken it to rehire it somewhere else. Thank you, a nice find after a long day of walking!

Found this cache with thebigflax and williamcole2111 on our Artiwhakatu Adventure. With 6 adults and 8 kids it was a full bunkroom with lots of laughs and even more noise. Good time was had by all
Thanks for the sweet cache

This was my second time visiting this hut. The first time being on my way out of the park after trying unsuccessfully to find the aircraft wreck on shingle slip. This time there were 14 of us here for the night (6 adults & 8 kids). Very nice location for a hut and a cache. The container was dry enough and it was nice to see it still had it's original logbook. I also dropped off really nice TB coin here.

This was my second time visiting this hut. The first time being on my way out of the park after trying unsuccessfully to find the aircraft wreck on shingle slip. This time there were 14 of us here for the night (6 adults & 8 kids). Very nice location for a hut and a cache. The container was dry enough and it was nice to see it still had it's original logbook. I also dropped off really nice TB coin here.

Did similar to someone else. Just stumbled over it while camping near the hut.

Out for a 3 day tramp with the Rathkeale Tramping Club completing the Jumbo Holdsworth circuit. My 8yr old son found this one by accident while exploring around the hut. Off to find a few more today as we head up to Jumbo. TFTC!

Easy walk into one of our favourite huts. Weather breezy but fine. Nobody else at the hut when we arrived, so looked at likely places and soon cache was too hand. Cache all dry. Replaced as found. TFTC

Very busy spot today, so rehid it well. Lovely hot day - the river is inviting!

This was the turn-around point for us today on an enjoyable walk from the campground. After a bit of lunch we had a look for the cache and managed to turn it up pretty quickly. Thanks very much for the cache.

Out this weekend tramping in the Tararua Forest Park via the Waiohine Gorge and Mount Holdsworth. Nice and quick find here, tftc!

After first planing to head to the third part of the Goldilocks cache as well, I decided to change my plans and just returned at the nice atiwhakatu hut, having a coffee and two caches.
Thanks for!

Die Heidjer!!!

Well designed new hut. Despite the drizzly, damp weather the hut was very full with 30+ people. TFTC

Quick find on our epic adventure to the aircraft wreck and the jumbo holdsworth loop. TFTC!

I like the new hut, quite an upgrade. Lots of muggles coming and going while I was here but I finally got an opportunity to make the find.

TFTC

Christmas Day find. Tftc

Found while enjoying Jumbo circuit track, TFTC

We happened to be on the island with a day to spare, and I always wanted to go for a tramp in the Tararuas, so we popped in here for a bit of a look.
To be fair it is not quite my type of tramping, but Mrs S.t. enjoyed it and it is a very nice place, and we were very surprised by the lack of people.
It is interesting to note that the hut has been signifigantly modified since the cache photo was taken.
I would like to come back one day and have a good wander through the back country.
Cheers and many thanks for hiding your cache here,
S.t.

Lovely to have a cache so close to the hut that we were staying overnight in! Nice hide, delighted the kids. TFTC.

We were very glad to see this hut after the seemingly interminable slog down from Jumbo. Dropping our packs, it was time for some much needed rest and refreshment! Once this had been achieved, it was time to search for the cache...not our best efforts, but the prize was eventually located. TFTC - now for the 'relative' stroll back to the car.

Cache # 3,153 - seeing the Hut was a delight after the steep descent with Infoferret from Jumbo Hut. Met people there who had pushed on from Jumbo last night. They got to spread out in this nicely appointed and spacious hut (sleeps 32? and only had about 15), whereas back up at Jumbo (capacity of 20) we had 32 and 2 dogs! Took a bit of fossicking about, but Infoferret eventually dug the cache out. TNLNSL. TFTC!

After our descent from Jumbo to Atiwhakatu, found this cache.
Pleased to be on the flat and at the hut.
Soon made the cache find and then sussed a very nice looking camp site for the night.
The hut sure is flasher than the last hut that stood here when I last visited. Says something about the length between my visits to the Tararuas!
We made a straightforward find on the cache; signed the log, and then safely re-hidden, just as found.
TFTC found with team cacher Sweet P too
The Turtle strikes again!

Found it after the onslaught of making my way down Raingauge Spur, now time for a cuppa and a lie down... TFTC

On a Scout & Venturer tramp doing the Powell/Jumbo loop for the weekend. Third day, and should be pretty cruisey.
Cache quickly found this morning, before group departure.

TFTC!

Found on an afternoon walk to the hut. Tftc

Hmmm... looked around at likely places, but not to be found today.

Found by CaligulaNZ while overnighting at Atiwhakatu with a group of scouts and venturers from Lower Hutt. TFTC.

Great relief to reach the bottom of the descent from Jumbo Hut with the cache as a bonus. TFTC

Found on a sunny Wairarapa day

We enjoyed a bit of a snack break at the hut before tracking down the cache. This looks like a lovely hut, & an ideal one for a someone's first overnight stay.
Left a pet rock - a squirrel. TFTC frenchm

Quick find on an overnight tramp with my grandson brother and the white wolf. The new hut is way better than the old one although the clearing is still quite gloomy My brother was able to get AM radio but definitely no cell signal A very peaceful night with the hut to ourselves. TNLNSL Thanks for the good sized cache

nice hide ,lots of muggles around.they eventually left.

Was at Atiwhakatu hut while tramping but didn't have any phone signal to check if there was a geocache at the hut. I did however find what looked suspiciously like a geo-trail but didn't investigate further as it was raining pretty hard. Now that I am back home I have discovered that there was in fact a geocache at the hut and the hint suggests that the geocache was in fact in the location I had suspected.

Stopped here for lunch and what I thought would be a quick cache, turned out to be a lot harder than I thought it would!
Luckily Thorntmeri was searching in the right place!
Really nice new hut, and nice stream.
Thanks for the cache

Quick find while out tramping with 34 Belmont and Britannia scouts, found with oldboy999 and Longstaffclan. TFTC

sorry forgot to log TFTC

Almost had me stumped, but found the right one. Was meant to head up to jumbo after here, but bad weather had set in , and was told it was howling a gale on the tops. Still, a nice, if wet and humid, day. Left a little turtle trackable. Tftc

I walked up to Rocky Lookout in July last year. With some new caches further up since then, I decided to return to search these out, a day-walk. I walked up Gentle Annie to Powells Hut, Mt Holdsworth trig, and then up to Jumbo Junction for an unfound cache. I walked back down via Jumbo Hut, very steep and hard going for my old legs. I found 15 caches today on this trek. Thanks for this cache.

Great series - thank you

Great Sunday walk. Lunch at hut before return hike. Tftc.

Came here on a day's walk in the area with Tramper Ted and Yeetrees cleaning up a few unfound caches. Found quickly by Yeetrees in a spot I had previously checked but not thoroughly enough. There was nobody else around and we had some afternoon tea at the hut before heading for another cache up the Raingauge track. Signed log, TFTC

Today I was hiking to Mount Holdsworth and the Atiwhakatuhut...and I had some founds on/beside the way TFTCs and Greetings from Germany.
This secret was quickly found.

I have found that cache on a day trip in the Tararua mountains. I tramped the Holdsworth - Jumbo - Circuit that day and found 9 caches, 1 coin, met 5 Kākās, a lot of other trampers and 3 dogs and I had perfect weather conditions. Finally, an awesome day! TFTC

As per Ozzawazza my tramp 'n' geobuddy. TFTC

The cache was wet and we had a fire going in the hut so we took it in for the night. There were muggles in the hut so we gave them our introduction talk into geocaching. They didn't think we were entirely mad. TFTC

A nice walk up a lovely valley. TFTC

First cache of the day on our 17 km tramp up the Atiwhakatu Stream and a little way up Rain Gauge Spur, before returning to the car park. Was impressed with how much track had been upgraded since last time. New suspension bridge is impressive, but not yet open, though it looks as though the construction has been completed. After a brief rest it was time to find the cache. GPSr was misbehaving, with no chance of getting a clear indication of where the given co-ordinates actually lay, so had to use the hint and even so it took the best part of 10 minutes to find the correct side of the correct hint object before the cache was unearthed. Emptied about 1 cm water from the cache. Log book is a bit wet, but still useable. It could do with an hour in the sun, but unfortunately we had to move onwards and upwards twards Jumbo, so it has been put back damp. TFTC

Nearly had us stumped! Had to wait for lunch time muggles to move on. TFTC and the excuse to come to the hut.

This was a bit funny cause i arrived at the hut about 6ish the night before to find it occupied by 3 guys working on the track, they were sitting outside on the deck so i only had time to quickly glance at the GPS and decide that i had spotted the hinted item and i would easily get it in the morning. My batteries were running low. I thought they would be up early and off to work but no they mucked around and didn't head off until 9am, meantime i had been lounging around in my sleeping bag waiting for them to leave. I jumped up and headed out to the spot - but Nothing - darn I had to turn my low battery GPS back on and it lead me to an entirly different spot - but it was there. Ended up having enough batteries to get the other caches on the way back

Lots of stumps but didn't find it.

Found on our .nz trip, tftc

Lots of stumps but found the right one

Found with P T-S on overnight tramp - first one with my own rucksack!

Quick find after a night in the hut.
TFTC

Found this cache last Saturday while we were staying in the Atiwhakatu hut. Easyly located. Our GPS got it with 100% precision. Thanks for the cache.

Lots of stumps and indistinct gps signal but found it after a few minutes.

Enjoyed this walk, nice hide

Nice new hut. TNLcoin

Nice hide. GPS was really not reliable with all those trees around. Once I put it aside and started thinking, it went much faster. Thanks!

Found during our second NZ tour of the Tararua Ranges.
We loved it so much, we came back for more.

We had no trouble getting the cache, we had very good weather and the hut is very nice.
TFTC frenchm

Well, it's 4 months since we were last here but GPS reception was excellent this time. While I tried to get the GPS to decide on one of two target spots, Mrs Cartertonic did a ground search, quickly eliminating the first target. With some serious rummaging she uncovered the cache at the second. With the benefit of hindsight (which is always 20-20), this should have been a much easier find than it was. Very satisfying to have bagged this one.
Dropped off the Red Jeep TB (which is actually a Chrysler Avalanche ATV). This seemed like a good place to deliver an off-road vehicle.

Didn't have us stumped for long.tftc

Went in with a group of 6 friends with all the GCs loaded on my GPS. Stopped for a couple, but couldn't find them in time as they weren't into GC. Weather turned on us the second day so came back past this one and couldn't leave without finding one (Do I need help). TFTC.

Glad to be down the hill out of the howling wind and rain. Sun trying to come out now, so stopped for morning tea at the nice new hut. GPS all over the place so had to use a bit of instinct. Mr TT ran diversion by chatting to a muggle whilst Mrs TT quickly grabbed the cache. Great area. TFTC

We were almost stumped, but with a little common sense we figured out where to look and the cache was soon in hand.

#768. Can confirm the cache is safe and well, although had to use the cacher instinct as the GPS was pointing elsewhere. Found while completing the Jumbo - Holdsworth circuit on a perfect day. TFTC!

On the way to the hut, the GPS lost satellite reception 300m from the cache and it never recovered while we had our lunch on the porch as the drizzle increased in intensity to light rain and the cloud cover thickened. Tried in vain to find the cache anyway for a while, but a steer from a previous log wasn't enough to overcome the large number of available 'hint' sites near the hut. Still, it's a very enjoyable 2 hour walk (each way) from Holdsworth Lodge and now we know that reliable GPS reception is a 'must-have' for next time. Thanks Frenchm for putting a cache in such a great place - we'll be back!

kaikawaka, K and I arrived to stay at the hut overnight and didn't take the opportunity to look immediately, so were hampered when two more people arrived. It definitely had us "hinted" for quite a while and I was (wrongly) convinced it was in a place I couldn't check without being seen. However, by rising early next morning while others were still sleeping, we were successful, but admittedly not until looking for a second time in the right place. An enjoyable cache, thank you.

While lunching in a small clearing we recognised the stealthy movements of a fellow geocacher who had just arrived, although we didn't see him actually make his find. Good to have a laugh and chat with him.

Came by here nearly a year ago on the way out from McGregor Biv, but the hut was too busy then to look. This time we stayed overnight, and had plenty of time and opportunity. It had us fghzced for a while, but we found it eventually - thanks for the cache.

Later in the day while having lunch we saw someone hanging around the cache site, and guessed he was another cacher. As we came out of the small clearing where we'd been eating I was going tell him he could look without worrying about us, but he had already found it! Good stealth technique, clearly.

With K, Peregrina and Gerry the Giraffe TB. Picked up Cacher's Paradise TB to move it on.

Took advantage of a lovely day to walk up and find this cache. Took me a little while to locate. GPS wasn’t much help, but I found it in the end.

Nice to meet some other cachers here and have a chat. Headed back after a short break and lunch.

It’s been quite a while since I last ventured up this way, that’s for the motivation to come back again. TNLN SL TFTC.

Third time lucky! On the previous visits there were tooany muggles around in fact 1 asked me if I was a botanist when they saw me poking around.