Queen Mary (Canterbury) Hanmer Springs, South Island, New Zealand
By oremountains on 17-Jan-10. Waypoint GC2320H

Sorry to see this go I certainly was a perfect place for a multi cache to get people to explore the area.

CO posted they would do maintenance back in January. Since then many comments of soggy waypoint and three needs maintenance logs. Maybe this log will get some action or open the space up for a new cache.

I moved away and ss the people I asked to do maintaince for never went to do it, I see no choice other than to archive it. If anybody wants to care about it, please feel free to contact me; I would be pleased...as it takes people to a great area

Stage two paper is beyond wet. It's a glutinous slime. Tried opening with tweezers but impossible so ended our search.

It should be a very nice cache, but at stage 1 is a number missed, stage 2 is extremly wet and stage 3: I don't know where it is. Ashamed for this nice spot

It should be a very nice cache, but at stage 1 is a number missed, stage 2 is extremly wet and stage 3: I don't know where it is. Ashamed for this nice spot

It should be a very nice cache, but at stage 1 is a number missed, stage 2 is extremly wet and stage 3: I don't know where it is. Ashamed for this nice spot

It should be a very nice cache, but at stage 1 is a number missed, stage 2 is extremly wet and stage 3: I don't know where it is. Ashamed for this nice spot

A good multi and an interesting walk around the Queen Mary grounds. It is a pity to see the buildings all being unused. Stage 2 was very soggy and needed a new plastic bag and a lid for the container. Stage 3 needs a box. Found only minutes after someone else. I seemed to be following four people around the grounds and when I reached the final cache, there was todays date. That was close. A favourite for the place but the multi requires attention.

we had a great walking day in Hanmer, it was sunny and not too cold. had GZ all for us, no muggles in sight depending were you enter the grounds, you're either welcome or access is denied so watch out [

Hi I'm a young cacher from switzerland and usualy I write my logs by myself in swiss german.
to keep it simple find the detailed log and any required picures of our find in Cache.Mike logs, he is my fahter.
thanks to all owners for all those fun caches we found during our 6 weeks in New Zealand

[size=1][font=Impact] .... [orange]JoshThePirate[/orange][/size][font=arial]

Have really worried about this log, but in fairness to fellow cachers who might try it this winter there needs to be some explanations. Firstly we really enjoyed it on a sunny but cold winters day so thanks for that. However the cache should be either withdrawn or have some serious maintenance or rebuilding.
The point of starting had problems with a needed number having dropped off the right hand side. The right no. was easily deduced however. The WP1 was where it should be, but was squashed and there was no lid. The coords were easily read, because amazingly, they were still in plastic. There was no hint. And lastly the final. We found it on the ground, with a broken lid, no plastic bag and amazingly again, an intact, but very wet log. We put it back from where it had fallen, upside down and with a couple of stones on top, but it will fall out again with the rain and wind. Phew.

It Was really Fun and tricky to find!

Have avoided multi caches till now as they seemed too much like hard work. But have done all the easy ones in Hanmer so time for the harder ones. Really enjoyed this one TFTC

Strolling through rain showers... always a nice walk through the gardens. TFTC

#279 Have been to Hanmer many times but this is the first time I have walked the grounds of Queen Mary. Really enjoyed the wander through the autumn leaves. Final is a bit damp as container is broken but still able to be written in. Dropped off the Tyrol #2 TB.

Lovely walk with the whole family. Amazing complex. Hope it doesn't just get turned into more holiday home sububs. Waypoints serviceable but as others reported, quite tatty.

Shame this hasn't been maintained. Might try to bring up containers next visit if it is still not up. Great location and great walk. TFTC TNLNSL

A good walk around the grounds, but disappointed that the caches haven't yet been maintained. Stage 2 is very wet and it is becoming difficult to read the co-ordinates. The final is dry, but very dirty and in a broken container. TFTC

Enjoyed wandering around this site but caches need serious maintenance. Stage 2 is very wet and hard to read, stage 3 lid is broken and we had nothing with us to fix it.

, found it, a fun seesion out hunting per previous logs the caches need some attention.

This entry was edited by 1eyednbf on Monday, 05 March 2012 at 04:16:34 UTC.

Finally finished this one off... started over a year ago but not been back since. Went to WP2 - very wet.... then onto the final. Busted and wet. Needs checking. Wow I did not realise how large the Queen Mary hospital area is, it's huge. TFTC.

Both Wp2 and final are very wet.... needs checking. Final container is broken and needs replacing... Cheers.

Very enjoyable, nice walk

nice'n easy. as others have said, great spot. be nice to see it utilized more, especially the complex near the final. good though, that public can wander round. as for the moans about the cache....log is dry (could do with a lid) and wp1 just needs some drying. all still usable, all easy fix. thanks for this cache.

My GPS iphone was leading me to the top of the roof so, I decided to call it a day. Nice place though. Muggles kept on following us around the joint simply because they thought we knew something about the place by looking at my iphone.. :(! very annoying when you're trying to find the cache.

Maintenance is on it's way!

A good multi but in serious need of some TLC. Water has damaged log and one of the clues. Can't see them lasting too much longer to be honest. Cache set in stunning grounds. Good on Hurunui DC for purchasing the site. What an asset for the community and vistors alike.

found on a bike ride around the town with a couple of the kids.TFTC

Great spot, as others have noted, this cache seems to be falling victim to the weather. TFTC. TNLN

Found it! Needs replacing though

Foudn cache on the ground and all over the place. Have put it back together but the container is damaged.

Awesome location, cache in plastic bag needs a new container and log book TFTC

Man what a big place! Think what you could do here if you had a spare 50million! Ditto other logs re container, too wet to write, left card. TFTC 3/1/12

Found the cache scattered on the ground, contents, log and container all scattered.

Lid damaged.

Enjoyed the puzzle and finally got the coord sorted out, waypoint is very wet and the cache lid is broken on the final, my pay to sort this out soon, TFTH

had a great walk around this area this morning. Really enjoyed. Found easily. TFTC

A nice walk around while staying at a friends motel across the road, GlenAlvon MOtels, very interesting to read about the history of the place.

lovely walk through the gardens on a beautiful day - hopefully this lovely setting will be utilised again one day.

#2 for today and #11 for the weekend. A nice walk around the grounds. A shame they aren't being used much.
Although everything is in place, the containers at both the waypoint and the final need replacing.

#2 with RuruNZ today as the rest of our group where in the pools, we decided to find caches. As RuruNZ points out, maintenance is needed for containers. Lovely grounds with a lot of potential for the area. Thanks for the walk round. Kiwicampnut

The container at the waypoint has been crushed so the lid no longer fits - a round container haqre n fgbar is not a good fit. The plastic bag is not effective and the paper with waypoint and hint is soggy. Perhaps a flat container and lamininating the paper would help.
The container at the final has a piece missing from the lid, the plastic bag is ripped, but the logbook is still dry. Any camoflaguing it had is gone and it is fairly obvious.

Nice stroll around the Hospital grounds. Surely there must be a use for this site??

TFTC

Crying shame to see this resource no longer being fully utilised. TFTC

Pleasant wander. This place would make for an awesome paintball course... Thanks.

Contemplated not doing this one in favour of potentially finding more of the closeish trads. But, after having done the first waypoint last night en route to the pools I thought it would be good to polish it off. Tftc - nice seeing around the grounds.

Final cache is a bit beat up but remarkably is still dry.

Great multi. The grounds are stunning, especially at this time of year with all the daffodils flowering. Huge upkeep for the council. Makes me wonder if they could make better use of it. Weird. The entrance we took said "public welcome" and when we exited past the blue buildings there were signs saying "No Trespassing". Go figure.
TFTC

A GOOD MULTI AND A PLEASNT MORNING FOR CACHING

One of my "must do's" ...
nice walk on a sunny day in Hanmer...
got a bit lost by the final but i remembered the hint ...

Had a very interesting walk through the grounds. Such a shame that all the buildings and land aren't being used. Would have never come here if the cache wasn't here. TFTC

A nice walk after enjoying the pools. It was good to see the grounds, etc. here for myself - something I probably wouldn't have done except for caching. TFTC.

Great walk around the grounds with Maus1. Sad to see Queen Mary sinking out of sight like that.

My first find in Hanmer and it took some time as I got interested in the history of the place. The final cache was a quick find.

We all enjoyed tracking this down on a beautiful winter day. TFTC.

A nice multi in Hanmer. I was surprised to see the hot water outfall on the way to the final! What a hug unused complex this is. Thanks for the wander.

Wandered around the WP's and then to the final while on a morning walk with the dog. Actually two morning walks as yesterday we were heading the opposite direction. A nice place and fun in the big frosts. Thanks.

Nice tour of the grounds. Tftc

Came back to Hanmer Springs, sure I would visit my cache. All good, just put it to Origin positon, as it had moved about one metre! Thanks everybody for visit my cache so frequently...the place is still beautiful!

Found this one on a wet morning while taking master nzmorri for a stroll in the pram.

We like it when it's muggle free in Hanmer. Nice walk even though cold and miserable and snow-like. Good to have caching to get us out and about. Thanks for bringing us into the Queen Mary grounds. TNLN. TFTC.

Found on an early morning walk in and around Hanmer. Thanks for the hide, great seeing the history

Grea littlet multi, did not realise such large complex' a great walk around. TFTC

Great spot for a cache.

Bitsprayer

Oooooky spoooooky place huh! My 10 year old son saw a ghost here about 18 mths ago in the old Chisholm block (I believe him too!) So he was non to pleased to be going back there but Dad was with us this time and he felt reassured although a bit jumpy!
Found the multi without too many problems. Thanks so much. May the force be with you! lol!

A nice multi but I felt a bit guilty walking around the Hospital site knowing that the Hospital was sold by the Government and not knowing whether its still public property.
TFTC.

1145hrs A nice easy multi. Picked up Gollum (8VH3HE) The Italian Job was here......! Our blog www.motorhominginxs.blogspot.com

What an interesting place. We would not have come in without the cache. We have not done an intermediate hidden multi for a while. Thanks

We were almost about to give up when we finally found stage 2 - the rest was no big problem.

Thanks for our first multi in NZ and greetings from Germany,
NeuOF&HobbleFrank

in: TB Gollum

Great spot with impressive grounds. Fun cache with a good tour of the site. Mrs Rarangi spent a few days here when she was doing here OT training many years ago. Pity the site isn't being put to good use. TFTC

I almost forgot this one and if you ask me, this is the best one in town!
But I ask my self, why dont they use this wanderfull old buildings for tourism, instead building sone ugly new one!

A very tidy hide and an interesting walk through the old hospital grounds. Surely it could be put to good use? TFTC. Left Heart of Gold.

Awesome cache. neat spot. TFTC

It was the first time I have walked round the back and was amazed at the size of the facilities. My dad was here being treated for a skin condition after the war. First two Wps easy to find but we made the final much more difficult than it needed to be. TFTC

An interesting wander through these grounds but so sad to see it slipping away from its former glory days. First 2 WPs were a breeze but somehow we made hard work of getting to the final. A neat hide for the cache though.

During our 4 weeks holiday in the southern island of NZ we did not only find an exiting countryside and wildlife. The many caches brought us sometimes to places we didn´t expect or planned to go to.
Thank you very much for this. Greetings from Germany.

It was a bit sad to wander through the magnificent grounds and observe this fine old facility deteriorating through lack of use. What a waste! Surely the place must be of value to some organisation. The place must be worth a small fortune.

Tried to do this in the dark the night before, but failed to find the waypoint after the letterboxes, despite a long time looking in the rain and expecting security guards to pop out any moment! Came back after breakfast with Dad and everything fell into place very quickly - a shame I failed the night before but the experience is definitely more pleasant in sunny daylight that is for sure. Many thanks for the cache, great spot

This was one on my "absolutely must do" list. It has been 14 years since I walked around these grounds. I enjoyed reminiscing of times past when I stayed in the Nurses Hostel and worked in the round OT buildings.
It was a lovely evening, so while the kids were tucked into bed at our cabin, my wife sat to unwind after a busy day adventuring, I went in search of this multi by myself. The muted sky was painted with warm yellows among the daunting grey clouds that threaten a change. I had the grounds to myself and my memories, and the atmosphere was rather surreal as it was washed in the yellow hues of the wonderful sky against the sun drenched mountainous backdrop. I must admit, this was bittersweet as I walked these grounds for what may well be the last time, amidst an environment that has been used for healing for so many years, and now sits dormant, its future unknown. May all who have found healing and peace here, continue to revel in what once was. To those who remain to seek out this cache, soak up the atmosphere of this special place knowing it has been a gift for so many NZers over the years.
Thanks so much for this cache.
(the final was a little exposed, so I endeavored to utilise the intended cover to blend it in naturally once again, hopefully in a sturdier fashion)
+/- nothing.

Would probably never have visited this quiet location without looking for this cache. Easy find and a nice walk before lunch.
TFTC, Jeff and Matthew

An interesting wander around the old hospital-such lovely grounds they must have been in their time. We wonder what will become of the area now the hospital is closed...TFTC

cool cache and an easy find with catocachers
TNLNSL T4TC

A nice quick multi despite the missing co-ords. Needed to put 49 in the right place to complete the final location. T4tC

We enjoyed the walk around the grounds on a hot day. Thanks for fixing the listing to include the missing '49' for others. We fluffed around until we read old logs and then worked it out (slowly). Great spot and hide. TFTC.

Found while caching with Linleye. The horses were lovely and very big!

In Hanmer for the evening so started on this one late in the afternoon. No problems with the numbers, and deduced the missing 49 minutes in the longitude coordinate. Both WP2 and the final were quick finds. A nice tour of the old hospital area which we thoroughly enjoyed. Signed log, TFTC.

Our first cache of 2011 - Happy New Year! Enjoyed the wander around the old hospital grounds. Both parts were found without a problem, with the final hide being well concealed. SL. TFTC.

A week in Hanmer, plenty of time to find the new caches. Spent quite a lot of time looking round this excellent old facility as I had not had the pleasure of visiting before. There is certainly a great deal of ongoing work to try and maintain all these facilities. Seems pretty likely that some of this land will be overtaken by the hot pools, but we will see. Cheers!

#1369@12:40

Thank you for the nice walk through the park. We found everything without problems.
TFTC and greetings from Switzerland.

I found this cache together with steha70. We are traveling around NZ.
Thank you for the cache and greetings from Switzerland. Grazie!

Like the others say, that missing 49 in the E co-ord could make it interesting! However, solved the maths correctly and went for the straight line wander. What a massive place, hopefully not the council owns it it might become something again. Time will tell! No problems with the final, it sure sticks out! TNLN Thanks

A bit of wandering around the park, not very nice in wet weather.

We are visiting here from Canada, and hoped to find this one while in Hanmer Springs with our Christchurch friends. I think our math was wrong, because we walked about 5 miles and never got to stage 2. We ended up near the golf course. Anyway, we enjoyed the exercise.

We really enjoyed this one. Very interesting. We would never have know this was in Hanmer.spent ages looking around the beautiful grounds. Log book a bit wet tho

No problems with family at dusk. Would have been super spooky if darker. Lovely horses at GZ. Took Giraffe and left monster

Wandered around to complete this little one - we ended up in some pretty strange places with this not sure we found the quickest routes and the GPS played games at times Glad when it was completed.

Thanks for showing us around here.
In Hanmer for the Inter Regional Primary Cross Country Champs. Time out to do some caching. TFTC
PS. The hot pools are getting a big makeover and an additional hydroslide. Supposed to be finished by Christmas.

Our first find in NZL, finally!!!. With some help from previous log we were off, after short stroll on a lovely day we had cache in hand, although a little soggy we signed log. Cache was a little exposed so we covered up as best we could.
TFTC

#4551 00:31 This was tough to do at midnight. Firstly the coordinates for the first stage are badly specified as: E 172° 5(3+B)(3*A). This causes confusion on two levels:

1) - the minutes are missing, the coords should say: E 172° 49.5(3+B)(3*A) [note the missing 49 in the cache coords]
2) - (3+B)(3*A) could mean (3+B) multiplied by (3*A), or just that each one is a digit.

1) I could guess, 2) I wasn't sure about, so I typed answers for both into my GPS and went hunting. Not sure if I should go in the grounds, I went along the road and went for a VERY long walk, almost the whole way around. Finally I found a side entrance in. The first set of coords I went for were obviously wrong, so I switched to the second set, and then found the waypoint by torch light.

The final part was much easier. A very satisying cache to find as you have to make a couple of leaps of faith, and a slightly creepy place at night. There are no end of possums running around at night.

TFTC - a good one, but the formula for the coords could be much improved

3358. Got up early this morning before my conference started and went for a walk in the semi-darkness to finish off this cache which I started yesterday afternoon. Easy cache, in spite of the missing digits! A nice walk in the grounds as the sun came up. Back to the motel for breakfast and then the conference. Thanks for the cache. Rodney.

Had a go at this cache without success as there appeared to be numbers missing. We had a good look around the old Hospital grounds anyway. After arriving home today and checking this cache on the computer and only after looking at ALL of the comments posted about this cache did I realise why we couldnt work it out.Its a shame that this problem hasnt been fixed as there will probably be more cachers that fall into the same trap,which is a waste of a good cache. Cheers Bo