KGM Picnic (Upper Hutt, Wellington) Silverstream, North Island, New Zealand
By Perso on 13-Sep-09. Waypoint GC1YMXW

TFTC

Quick find while on the loop

Didn’t understand the hint but quick find at an obvious spot. It took us just under 2 hours to complete the loop including a couple of slow stops for DNFs. Now for some lunch Thanks Perso!

I did stop here for lunch! Last find for the day - all smiles except for the rainbow one up top (dash it!)
Many thanks for your mahi behind placement- loving this track and would never have known about it otherwise
Nice spot to rest and watch the bird life - they came close when still

As we were heading downhill no picnic for us! Nice easy find by junior cacher #1.

A bit weary of the downhill now so it was good to take a break to find this rather lonely cache before the final careful descent. TFTC

Found at a likely looking picnic spot, but we think we'll go home for lunch! Tftc

Coming down the track, so no need to stop other than looking for the cache. Another easy find. Thanks for placing the cache

After searching all through the surrounding bush I found it exactly where I would have hidden it myself. Doh. Not sure about the clue, it's a bit vague and not really helpful. Don't worry about your GPS and don't over think it. Just check the obvious places. Nice spot. TFTC.

The only one I couldn't find on the loop track. Will have to try and get this one another time.

My phone GPS was playing up just here but I managed to fluke the find Just as well because daylight was fading fast TFTC

#6922. Decided to tackle this loop today to pick up the caches. The weather has been remarkably fine and dry for this time of the year so hoped the track wouldn't be too slippy today. Apart from a few patches it was mostly dry and easy going underfoot. Haven't been up this loop track at all previously. It had a good variety of forest types with patches of tawa, some lovely hard beech forest on the spurs and patches of kamahi scrub higher up on the ridge. The trip did not start well as my GPS had a glitch and refused to pick up satellites. Its happened previously and can last for a few hours. I have no idea what causes it. So had to use my smart phone and Cachly App. Haven't relied on it previously. Not very familiar caching this way counting down the metres and not having a good topo map to look at. But luckily the hints were all nice and descriptive so I was able to compensate for smartphone inaccuracy with the helpful hints. Managed to find all nine caches attempted.

Arrived at the picnic spot. Certainly a nice place to rest up. The cache was sitting out in the open about 5m from the path. Not sure if it was rolled there by an animal or found by muggles. The log sheets were soaked so I put in a new log sheet inside a plastic bag. Signed the log and put the cache back into a place closer to the track fitting with the hint. Thanks Perso for hiding it here.

#16181. Troodles was busy this morning, so I was caching solo. I had some homework to do to prepare for the 11-types-in-a-day day planned for tomorrow (sussing out a couple of multis and a couple of wherigos). Also, it gave me a chance to do this loop track to to find one of the few caches that had eluded me in the years we lived in the Hutt Valley (Nov 2010 to April 2014). I'm not sure why we never got to this one. I did the loop anti-clockwise, and this was the last find of an enjoyable loop track. The cache took a bit of finding (I tracked it down when I had a better look in a place I had already searched). Great to finally get here (the caches on the loop that had popped up since we left town in the mean time were a bonus). TFTC.

Its the third day of the school holidays. My wife and I have sorted out a "tag team" plan for this week where I go to work in the morning and she goes to work in the afternoon. I knocked off work at midday and caught the 12.17 pm train to Melling. I was home before 1 pm and my wife headed straight off to work.

In the afternoon I had to drop one of my sons at Naenae Pool for his swim training. It was literally drop and go because I had the other 2 kids in the car. I thought that maybe the kids would like to come up here for a walk, but they didn't and I took them home.

Later, after dinner, I decided to take Dexter the Border Collie and head out for a walk. I still had this spot in my mind so drove a little further than I usually would for a dog walk and came up here for a look around.

It was a nice evening. There were plenty of birds out enjoying the twighlight. Dexter enjoyed playing in the stream on the way out and back.

When I was younger (and fitter) I used to do a bit of tramping. I agree that this is the sort of spot that someone would stop for a bit of a rest and maybe a quick brew of tea. I sat here for a while thinking about the glory days when this would have seemed like an easy stroll and I would have hardly broken a sweat getting up here. Not so nowadays!

Anyway, the cache is in good condition. All nice and dry.

Thank you

Cherrys Rule

Went for a bit of a walk around the Keith George Memorial Park Loop. Quite a steep climb to the top but a lovely walk. A quick find on the way down. Everything in order. TFTC

(find # 4277)

Found after a couple mins. Cache was full of water and log all soggy, couldn't get the pen to write on it but found a mini logbook in my handbag so added that. It's suppose to be waterproof paper but I don't trust it :p it was quite cheap.
Almost at the end of the loop! Dogs were so happy to have a drink in the stream.

Finally found this and finally completed the loop after 3rd attempt . This was very wet and emptied the water out. Removed bag of wet toys.

I followed the GPS to GZ and looked in a couple of likely places to no avail. About to look up the hint, I turned around and there was the cache - just kind of sitting there. I mean it was tucked away but kind of hard to miss. Thanks for placing on this enjoyable walk.

Very lucky not to go past this - I hadn't been looking at my GPSr so got a bit of a surprise when I stopped at this point to check it out. Yes, just 3m away. A nice quick find, though unfortunately quite wet inside. Not so wet I couldn't leave some ink on the paper, but certainly could do with a bit of drying out. Unfortunately this was my last find of the day - though there were a few more I could have looked for, none were exactly on the path I took and I didn't really have the time left for any detours. TFTC and thanks to all the COs out there for today's finds.

Submitted via Garmin Oregon 7xx

Found with jwnz and chrissymonty. Very wet log

What a climb TFTC 220

Found with Christian Cachers. Great little rest spot log book completely wet unfortunately. Thank you

Perfect spot for a snack. Log book soaked could do with replacing next time someone's up

Decided to revisit after our recent failure, cheered by a couple of recent finds with, this time with a "real" GPS rather than just the phone.

Once again, coords not much good for us due to the GPS jumping around everywhere so settled down for a grid search and after about 10 min found in an obvious spot - not sure how we missed it last time.

#2518 not sure how many attempts I have had, finally found today in the drizzle. Wish I had brought my dinner so I could have a picnic this time!

Thanks for bringing me up here a few times. Now for the slippery climb back down - shouldn't have done this in the rain.

Dried everything as much as possible.

Out for a walk with a group of friends. What a fantastic area of native bush, a really enjoyable wander. The hint of "light green cover" is really very helpful. TFTC

Given the issues others have had with coords it was always going to be a big ask to find and unfortunately despite searching a fairly wide area neither of us could find it. Will keep an eye out for future finds and if feeling especially self-loathing may make the climb again to find it.

Wb-jnr and I spent half an hour without luck. This cache is the last on my list up here - we will return after it is found by somebody else, or confirmed by CO as still being there.

Thanks for the cache

Had a good look, but no luck for me today

Found with TregearP and BiddieRoberts (BRIK) on the KGM loop on a sunny Sunday morning.

A cache was wet and damp log book. Dried as best able, TNLNSL, TFTC.

TFTC, as noted earlier log damp

Nice

Came via the KGW loop track - the long way as we felt like seeing where the track went. Initially came down the hill from St Pats, then turned left and went round the whole loop (not realising there were two new caches in residence haha). Puffed back up the hill to this one. The logbook is wet so could do with replacing, and there was water in the container. TFTC

It's been a while since this one was last found, so when I get around to doing the Lonely Cache I may well be able to use this.

I did this loop CCW about 18 months ago in the middle of winter in the rain. It was muddy, slippery and treacherous and as I did it on a whim I hadn't researched the track. So it was a bit of an epic outing that had been influencing my tackling this cache. I was prepared for the worst today but was pleasantly surprised in the dry conditions and the track was quite pleasant.

I set off making sure that I took the second track, as opposed to the first turn off which I'd taken on my previous climb. It was a steep but pleasurable ascent on a warm sunny day. My GPS was useless under the tree cover but I remembered Tararua Turtle's photo in the gallery sitting on, what I assumed was the hint object so kept an eye open for this.

At what I presumed was GZ my GPS was still telling me I was in the carpark so I set about looking for the cache blind. Soon had it in hand and signed the log just as my GPS clicked in. Placed wet logbook in new ziplock bag after a bit of drying out in the warm breeze. Although it is still damp it's writable and at least usable.

The swappables bag needed attention as (what looks like) a soy sauce sachet labeled 'Christchurch Stadium' was leaking into the mix. Ditched the soy sauce so all good now, though wet. It's great to have this smiley face as it's been beckoning for quite some time.

TFTC TNLNSL

#6466. A good hike in Moonshine Valley on the Keith George Loop Track. Parked at the entrance car park to Keith George Memorial Park. The park is a memorial to Keith George, who was killed in the First World War. In memory to him, his parents offered the land as a gift to the Wellington City Council in 1923. Quite a poignant tribute this week leading to ANZAC Day. The park was all quiet. GPS was challenging at GZ. Found after a short search. The cache was a little damp inside, but otherwise in good condition. The log book was dry. Took nothing, left nothing, signed log. Thanks for the cache.

Nice bit of exercise climbing. Cache a bit damp. Took a bit of time for the gps to settle.

#1000 WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP.
Milestone cache for me.
Quick find at GZ.
Short ,steep climb but worth it.
no time for a picnic for me,back down same way up.

Great spot. Probably should have chosen a drier day or grippier shoes!

Loved the hike around this track, I wouldn't call it a walk as the steep gradient meant I was near climbing half the time. Good boots are a must which I fortunately had on and I had to fashion a walking stick out of a fallen branch for the decent as it was still damp and slippery in places from recent rain.

Thanks for bringing me to this place, with awesome bush and wildlife and a cool spot to stop for a break at GZ.

Approached from the top of the hill. Tftc

Find #1822. Chose to deviate from cycling the Hutt River Trail to find this one and get a smiley on the map. Locked the bike at the bottom of the second branch of the track and began the uphill climb - nearly 300 vertical metres if the gps was anything to go by. Reached the likely spot and stopped for a breather, drink and to let the gps settle - found the cache in the first place I looked - all in good order. The climb up may have been physically hard but the down was more technical to avoid slipping and tripping. Thankfully the track was dry but not too dry which can be just as lethal. An enjoyable side-trip. SL TFTC.

This is my second attempt after taking the wrong track last time! That will teach me to read the description properly! After a painful climb for a very unfit me I refused to leave until I found it, luckily it only took about ten minutes. Great cache !

Cache #872 - quite a haul, and probably a bit more than I should have tried on a lunch hour. Glad I did not have any geokids with me, as they would not have made. GPS led me on a merry chase around the GZ, and just as I was about to give up (always the case...) I spotted the container. All looks good, and nice to be the first to sign in the new log. TNLN. TFTC!

Refreshed the cache and replaced the sodden log book. Ready to go for summer.

Very steep walk up to GZ, but took quite a while to find it. Looked everywhere until CaligulaNZ found it.

TFTC!!

This is my kind of cache ... bit of a walk, work up a sweat, struggle with the ole lungs ... and struggle we surely did! A lot steeper and slipperier than expected ... but good fun. Took a bit of a breather at GZ, then let GPS settle. Relatively quick find after that. GC gone, but since returning home i see a finder the previous day had retrieved it.

TFTC! #240
with FiddlefingersNZ

Coming down from the loop track arrived at the GZ and searched a bit. Found it after a good look around. Cache and Logbook were pretty mouldy, so i cleaned everything a bit. The track is pretty rough, steep and slippery. Strange feeling of tramping along with the sound of the highway. Out : GC. TFTC. Sherlock Hood.

Nice Bush walk after work today Didnt take to long to get to the GZ good bit of exercise, took a bit longer to find the cache,finally found by torch light as it started to get dark TNLNSL TFTC

Phew - bit of a bush bash to find this one as I didn't set off on the correct track. Cache is a bit waterlogged after the recent heavy rain. Dropped off a JSEA's Canada Micro Geocoin. Track down was very greasy with damp leaves over wet clay.

See detail in previous log.

Take a machete for the 2 hour loop.

thx for a good steep walk up the hill to get to the cache. TFTC

This entry was edited by Oggies on Friday, 11 February 2011 at 20:12:28.

Wow! What an amazing trek. We took the 2 hour loop track & enjoyed a fantastic experience. I can't think of a better way to celebrate Waitangi Day than exploring the beauty our wonderful country has to offer.

Glad I wore good boots & had my hiking stick for this trek. It was hard going in places, but the experience was worth it.

Thanks for the excuse to explore this wonderful spot.

What a trek! Went on the two hour loop track. An amazing trek through the bush and some steep tracks. TFTF

As in all these caching challenges I find it is useful to fully read and comprehend the instructions and directions. So why do I fail to do this so often. This is one of those circumstances when it pays to read the directions carefully and then follow them. Note that the second 'unbridged' stream, is now a bridged stream - work which looks very recent.
After a bit of a grunt up the hill we found the cache, signed the log and returned it safely as found. Left TB.
TFTC found with team cacher Sweet P too
The Turtle strikes again!

Having read previous logs I was able to get onto the right track at the bottom. Just as well, or I may have taken the first track (North Ridge) as a number of others seem to have done. Gonefishing junior and I huffed and puffed our way up the hill, and then found the cache quickly in the obvious spot. The coords were bang on which helped too. After munching on a muesli bar and having a slurp of water we headed back down again.
TFTC.

A bit of a 'heart pumper' but worth the effort. TFTC

This cache was one of those that you had wished you had read the previous logs more carefully. Like KingsportS before me and many others, I took the first trig track to the right, as it seemed to match the description on the cache page. This turned out to be a much steeper track than the correct one which is further on to the south. All was not lost though as both tracks summit on the Pylon Rd so it was a simple matter of walking down this road and locating the other end of the correct track. It was a nice moderate descent to the cache from here. Once I located the aforementioned picnic spot it was a simple matter of standing on top of the prominent feature and looking around until I spotted the cache. Its worth noting that it is possible to achieve all 3 caches in this area from the one parking spot on River Rd. NINO TFTC

Walked up to this cache this afternoon after finding the "Walkabout" puzzle cache lower down. No problem with finding the right tracks, I had read the previous logs and also the map at the parking area which was very useful and informative. But the GPSr led me a merry dance by initially placing GZ about 30m down the track so that I searched all sorts of places there and never got to see the "picnic spot". When the position readings eventually stabilised a bit I walked further up the track and did spot the said item, and then the cache was found quite quickly. Signed log, TFTC and for the exercise!

Nice sunny day in Wellington, decided to take dog for good walk. 2 hours later I had manage to find the cache. My fitness was truly tested today, started on wrong track this track take me to the pylon. Went back down to read information again. Manage to get onto the right track. GPS wasnt much help in the beginning and after a bit of search I found the cache. Really enjoyed the walk amongst the native bush

Wow took a hour to find wasn't going to walk up this hill again so I kept on looking til I found it

#317. I kept an eye on which track to take with this one after reading the logs from other cachers about taking the wrong track. I was about to make the same mistake as the needle was pointing in roughly the right direction at the first junction. But no, continued on and about 5 minutes later I found the 'Trig Track' as stated. A nice 45 degree slope from there on with a relatively easy find at an obvious location. Thanks for the exercise , SL, TFTC. -tb, -badge, -butterfly, +figurine, +ball, +badge.

This hill seems steeper than it was 50 years ago.A good cache,well hidden.Thanks.TNLN.

Nice little walk and no problem locating, and following the track. Seems my only misfortune was in not finding the cache.
Phoned a previous finder who described an area I first checked, and had re-checked numerous times.
Must be blind to this one.

Found after going over 300 metres past it! I had a bit of a fall and did something to my GPS. Took a while to work out the problem and came back down to the cache. SL took GC left TB TFTC

Yay! Found the "Trig Track" sign this time and puffed up the right hill for around 14 mins, got to an altitude of 141m and found the spot to have a "picnic" Located the cache with the bang on co-ords, took some snaps, then bounded down the track like a slalom skier in record time... Will have to do the whole loop next time (Trig to Pylon and down via the North Ridge) - T4TC Perso!

Heh, I have a similar story as Graeme.N to tell but not quite as disastrous - I'd logged the GPS co-ords some time back intending on having a hunt but never got around to it. Decided that as I was in the area today I would have a go but I hadn't previously noted the all important comment to follow the "Trig Track" - Instead, I charged up the "Northern Ridge Track", and when I got parallel with the cache but was still some 200m away from it and I was on the wrong side of the stream I realised my error

Decided to bush-bash, and got back down to the stream safely but now in a very wet and dirty state and as I was slowly working my way up the other spur to the cache my GPS battery went flat - Arrrghhhh! I was still 80m away but in dense bush so I had to give up and back track to the stream and then follow it down (I now know the *exact* area that Graeme.N was talking about where he slipped and fell - I stood there and contemplated my next move for some minutes before taking the safer option and heading back inland). It was tricky enough doing all this in daylight; doing it in the dark is madness dot com!

Made it back to the carpark after 90 mins of trudging through some pretty tough terrain; I have a few scrapes to remind myself of this wee adventure but I am undeterred and I will be back as soon as the weather permits to try and find the cache hidden somewhere on the "Trig Track"!

NOT to be done as a night cache! I now have the rest of the week off work.

...

I foolishly allowed myself to be talked into attempting this one, even though night was falling. - 1st mistake.

Was told by caching friend that he had done it in 10 minutes when not very well, so it shouldn't be a problem for me, so I thought I might be able to do it before it was fully dark. - I was wrong, but continued my ascent even after it was fully dark. - 2nd mistake.

Got to a point where the track was totally unclear ... well, actually, I had no idea where the track went at that point, but I decided to continue uphill anyway. - 3rd and biggest mistake of all!

After about another 10-15 minutes, I realised I was in totally the wrong place, heading in the wrong direction for the cache. Worked out the approximate direction for the cache and headed that way. After about anther 5-10 minutes of bush-whacking (the bush whacking me more than the other way around!), I decided that I would find my way out either via the cache site or via the stream I could hear, whichever I got to first.

I got to the stream first (the cache was still about 125 metres away) and proceeded to follow the rocky stream down-hill. My mountain goat-like sure-footedness helped me keep my feet dry for a while ... until I got to the bit where there was about a 1 metre drop to a rock pool that was about a metre or so across and no easy way around it. I tried to skirt it, but slipped, landed on my back in the (cold) water and hit my lower back on a rock just to the left of my spine. Fortunately, I was able to stand-up again straight-away and my torch was still working fine, though I was concerned for the various electronic devices I was carrying - moreso than for myself at the time!

Got out the rest of the way OK, took my wet tops off, quick rub down, dry top on, electronics out of wet places and dried and checked as much as it could safely do "on the spot": one cellphone working, one not (the geocaching one!). Drove to my home hospital 1.5 hours away, into Emergency Department to get my back,etc. checked: no serious damage noted, but given the rest of the week off work.

[This entry was edited by Graeme.N on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 3:46:03 PM.]

A great walk to warm up on a cooler afternoon. TFTC. Dropped of Emvy-us travel bug to begin it's journey to Scotland.

Had a sheen on after the wee walk up the mountain...nice spot to recover. Took TB. TFTC

This was one of the more enjoyable searches I have undertaken. I turned the walk into a loop by going up one track and coming down another. Yahoo! Third to find!!!

2nd TF. Headed off to get this one after work today, A quick glimpse at the contours and I could see I was in for a bit of a climb, headed off up hill and stopped to check my location only to find I had passed GZ and had to retrace my steps back down again. Found after a bit of hunt, My GPS kept giving me a mark away from the cache area, not unexpected considering the tree cover and topography. Enjoyed a museli bar and drink then headed back down, which I managed with out falling over, which I was quite pleased about as the track was pretty slippery. Agree that good footwear is advisable. Great spot for a cache, very calm in the bush here today most enjoyable. TNLN SL TFTC

FTF Whoopee!!!!! , (11:16), saw this one this morning but decided that I would go and have a look at it at lunch time if I had time. Finished the job I was doing early so a quick change off gear and off I went, as it was a spot that I had being before the initial part was easy, BUT the second part was a total surprise, a 3.5 was about right IF you are not getting over a slight flu, definitely not recommended if not in full health, was a bit of a struggle but made it in the end. Arrived at GZ, what a great spot, found cache quickly and managed to get a few photos before literally sliding my way back down hill (good footwear is definitely recommended). Dropped of Czech Globetrotter GC, TFTC TNSL (1009) FTF CRAZE Yeetrees came for a quick climb as well.

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