Clay Barn (Nelson/Marlborough) Wai-iti, South Island, New Zealand
By SoBad on 11-Jan-11. Waypoint GC2MA2G

I found the perfect spot for the cache and a rock to hold it there, but no cache in sight.

Sounds like it has gone as should be easy.

Couldn’t find anything

Easy find TF.SF.IF.EF interesting history

Quick park and find and some cool memento swaps here for us. Tftc

Another caching adventure with Mizznboys. Nicely hidden cache here and interesting claybarn nearby. TFTC

Found it

Nice easy find on a beautiful country road. Trackable not here unfortunately. TFTC

Good to see this 9 yr old cache still going strong and it serves its purpose in highlighting an interesting feature.
I wonder how much tobacco was, and still is, grown in the region? TFTC SoBads.

The Aotearoa Bike Challenge is in full swing this Feb and my work is involved (and performing admirably), so I have been making the effort to contribute and get in the saddle any day I can.
So I had targeted a couple of cache bike rides over the hill today, but left the rest of the day’s plan pretty fluid.
Driving to Renwick this morning I still had not decided which direction I was going. But I turned left, heading off to Wairau Valley and eventually Tophouse Rd.
I hadn’t had any breakfast, but surely there must be something on the way? Correct. That something was Karen, gatekeeper of my cache GC7V5ET and all-round top woman.
So I caught up with her and half an hour later, after some good chat (about 10% of which was my contribution), I started my caching day.
And it was a successful day. I completed my 2 goal rides with no DNFs, and the other major achievement today was getting my B&W finds (finally) to the 1000 mark.
So thanks to all COs, especially Bum for all those hides

There are some interesting old building around. Found when in area getting some newer caches. TFTC

With TS's business out of the way we have time to visit a few places on our way home. Its up this road to see this Clay Barn. But what for? Not for hay. Hops or tobacco. Thanks CO for the info on this cache page. Quick snag and tag here. cheers.

After an early 5am start for an FTF we finally get to Nelson around 9.30. Stopped off at Richmond for some fresh bread, then headed southwards. Its a Rail cache placing mission for TS, with a couple of extras along the way.

Taybeedragon and I are in Nelson for a cache laying exercise and that down, went out hunting for other people's caches. Came past here. I had not read the cache description and so walked in to chat to the owner who was trimming the box hedge He said it was a hop kiln, but actually, I think the CO is more correct, this is a tobacco kiln. Amazing building, alas, pity about the big crack in it. I love these old buildings, and unlike the cache I visited earlier, this has tolerable parking and is a better size. Gets a favourite.

Spotted the hide on approach and made a nice easy find. Our second shadow for today, Now just to get the other clues so we can move on. Left a suitable TB. tftc

A wonderful little mission off the main rd. I love these quiet little places around here. A cool building and a really nice stop, thanks very much!

Having dropped off daughter at a friends house in Wai-iti, a slight detour on the way home. Always amazed at these little historic out of the way gems. Thanks for the cache.

A quick and easy find. And an interesting piece of local history too. Thanks

Having a wee break up in Nelson. Today we drove not too far away from the middle of town, had some good walks and had lovely fine weather. Those we found together were signed Ms+Mr KR.

Thanks to the CO's for placing and maintaining these caches. Cheers.

Almost the last for our lovely weekend away .

Should I stay in the car and knit or venture out in the rain? Ooh what a cool barn so I'm definitely being a nosey Parker. Nice hide and great info about something new to me. Splendid show of dwarf daffodils too. TFTC

A nice easy find for our first ever Geocaching adventure.

Nice thanks

Nice one. Thanks

Great location and even a lovely old barn, couldn't even see it at first pass. Thanks SoBad for the cache.

I was with PC when she found this cache ,we were out today in the rain caching so stopped off to get it .It wasn't where I thought it was with PC help she found it thanks PC .Tftc SoBad

First one here in quite a while. Log and cache in great condition. TFTC BELT FAMILY

A trip up the valley to St Arnaud and into Richmond the long way before a loop back through Wakefield, to Rabbit Island via Dovedale. Sounds like a crazy plan? Sure was. I've solved a couple of puzzle caches over Wakefield way and was looking to grab them on a single loop drive before a low-tide assault on the Bells Island caches, which got canned due to time/energy/pluck.
Having been in this area for just over a year a few of the Nelson/Marlborough COs are replacing some of my North Island ones on my 'caches placed by a certain CO' list. A few big movers up that chart today.
Last cache before lunch, we've got plans for sushi, exchanging an IPOD lead then up Pigeon Valley Road for a few (more) caches.
Interesting feature here, well worth bringing us off the main road to find this one
T F T C SoBad

Mr unichel following suggestions from Mrs sitting in the car and he found the cache. TFTC and bringing us to a new valley .

This is certainly one of those 'only because of geocaching' side trips which shows off a little piece of rural history.

En route to Wai-iti to collect HorseGirlNZ from a summer camp and with some time to spare, so I decided to visit a couple of these SH6 side-road caches.

Thanks

#1020

It was a nice morning for a drive in the country. I have never been up this road before and finding the cache was a bonus. TFTC

Found on a cool morning

Abandoning St Arnaud, now en route to Nelson.
One of a series of caches along the way.
Surprised that no one had ventured up here for a time. Especially given that the point of interest was indeed pretty interesting. Hope they can find the $$ to attend to obviously much needed R&M. Good history. Thanks.
Straightforward find. Cache in order, log signed. Cache re-hidden safely, just as found.
TFTC found with team cacher Sweet P too
The Turtle strikes again!

07/10/2014 7:02:00 AM
4845
This was one of the most epic weeks ever, and definitely my most epic caching week ever.

Me and mum headed up on a holiday north to Nelson and very wider surrounds. In total during the trip, we found almost 500 caches! (470 odd I think, but final results are yet to be in! ) We covered about 3000 odd km I think too. Crazy! And had our absolute best caching day ever too at 160 found. Spend 9 days travelling, caching, and having the best time ever!!

So sorry about not so epic logs, as otherwise this would probably take me the rest of my life to log, especially with two big events to organise coming up! Eeek!!

Almost every single log we signed as 'Team Polak' to avoid needing to write out both usernames taking up space on logsheet - as well as precious caching time!! Haha.

This was it - one of the caches on our big day

Consec caching day # 702

TFTC!!

-------------------------------
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For the sake of sanity we set off with sonia26642 for a crazy geocaching trip, aiming to cache until we drop. The main destination was Nelson and the ‘surrounding’ area, but then we ended up covering a few miles in three northernmost regions, plus a few in Canterbury. We were signing/stamping the log as 'Team Polak' or ‘TP’ for the two of us on this trip to save logbook space. We found a lot of different caches, city ones, road side, park side, up a hill and on an island, and we enjoyed every single one of them. It was good to be a professional thingfinder for a few days!

Today was to be our biggest day. S planned the route to cover the most possible easy to get P&G’s but we ended up not limiting ourselves to only those. D2.5? Why not? Let the brain have a bit of fun! D3? I am sure we can get there quickly!

We had great fun and are grateful to all CO’s who placed caches for us to find, and help restore our sanity before returning to our other non-geocaching lives!!

Come and join us the next New Zealand geocaching MEGA event!! Register your interest now at www.nzmega2015.com to receive newsletter updates and be the first to know. It will be a great event, come and be a part of it!!

One of the little treasures found while geocaching. We parked slightly past it and walked down to GZ so were able to have a goodish look (as much as the hedge allowed) at it. It was funny seeing the building materials exposed in the bank by GZ.
Definitely deserves a cache to draw attention to it, many thanks for bringing me here.

#7701. An interesting building; well worth a cache.

GPS lead us straight to it for a nice easy find. Interesting bit of history, TFTC!

TFTC gps was all over the place today but we hung in there and soon we had the cache in our hands!!!!

been past this one lots of times but never found the turn off so it was a mission to tick this one off today lovely old building

A quick easy find at an interesting structure. TFTC

Easy find. Lovely valley.

Talk about a trip down memory lane, tobacco was grown up this valley when I grew up in the near vicinity, TFTC.

Quick find while out Caching with JNYMAK. TFTC

On the way home from a successful day caching, couldnt resist doing a couple more TFTC

#859

Nice

"Slight" detour on our way from St Arnauds to Blenheim looking for caches and some sunshine. Thanks for an enjoyable detour from the detour we were already on! Lovely old building, thanks for sharing TFTC.

Quick find dropped in geotag VEG9FY

Easy find - no. 300 !!

Found while on the way to Murchison kayaking for the long weekend. A very nice valley further up. TFTC

found it - good way to spend another rainy Sunday afternoon

lovely valley...never been up there so nice cache

Easy find on an afternoon caching with Hazedarus. TFTC.

Not much room to park at GZ but easy find while caching with Holymu. TFTC

Very interesting barn. Soon located the cache. SL TFTC

A short detour to this one while heading south to spooners and Tapawera. Quickly found. TFTC

Interesting spot, went on a bit and found that this is a busy little valley today.

TFTC

I grew up in Wakefield and never been up here, not that there is much apart from a few caches to attract one! Cheers

An interesting spot. The farmer was working nearby but no problems.

Another of those really interesting little bits of history that we’d never see without geocaching. New Zealand is full of little surprises – which won’t be forgotten thanks to geocachers! TFTC

An interesting old structure.
TFTC

Easy find with Wilson#41.
Nice bit of history which we would not have seen without Geocaching.
TNLN

Easy find with Kwaka40
TFTC

If I was on that millionaire programme and was asked what kind of kiln this was, I would have had no hesitation in saying hops even if the one million dollars was at stake. Guess I would be going home in a very sorry state. - - - Anyway. Yes, it is the first clay kiln I have seen. So pleased it has been preserved. Thanks so much for bringing us here.

An interesting building and associated piece of information - thanks for showing it to me. It is great to see structures of historical significance being preserved for future generations. TFTC - 49 of 75

Cruising the highway with GPS on, did not know of this cache. Quick nip up the road. That is cool. Plus, extra entertainment from a fairly new-born lamb that dived through the fence wanting to come with me despite mum calling flat out just behind it. Chucked it back, but it tried again to come !! Hilarious.

Nice quick drive by with good site to see. Would have taken a lot of man hours to construct this. Thanks for the cache

6880 That's an interesting Clay Barn, thanks for sharing the history of this building, TFTC.

not much parking, but quick find at night.

Bitsprayer

Quick dash and grab at night. Cheers Gav [7668]

never seen one of these before only cobb cottages tftc

Neat clay barn even at night time. TFTC

A nice quick night time find with a greoup of cachers.

Great spot for a cache , thanks for bringing me here TFTC

Funny you see a lot of clay/cob houses preserved but this is the first barn I have seen - are there more around I wonder ? seems to me there should have been lots around at one time - anyway great to see it - long may it stand !!! signed log thanks for the cache

A nice little drive with a better view of days gone by we found a spot to pull over and then with a quiet little stroll managed to find the cache nad have another peak at this barn of days gone by TFTC and bringing us to see part of the local historical buildings

A quick find and a cool barn TFTC

Well worth a drive to see it TFTC

A nice place to stop and stretch on the way to the coast.

TFTC

TFTC

Nice feature.
Thanks for bringing us here.

interesting barn
great cache
TFTC

Neat looking barn and a very obvious hiding spot. A quick find on an evening outing with the family. TFTC

droped in to say hi to the greens first and then did the cache.

This was my first cache of the day as I return to Christchurch from Wakefield. (Ended up finding 30 so a great start for the course work towards the 'MGSc' cache, having completed the 'BGsc' yesterday). TFTC

Thanks for showing me this kiln and to beltfamily for all the additional info. TFTC #1899

Nice One!!!!!!!!! Great location! Really enjoy these scenic and historic cache sites. Are we seeing a "valley" cache theme in the making? If so, bring it on. Quick and easy find with the co-ordinates spot on. Much fun! Thanks

I remember this road so well. Wrote off my sisters bike up here tftc

I had to pick my daughter up from a party near Wakefield this evening so thought I'd stop on by down here "on the way". Another road to explore and another cache found. TFTC, Biggles.

Published

That barn is actually a tobacco drying kiln that is only a small part of a much larger cobb tobacco drying and processing shed that used to be here. The property is owned and occupied by the Green family who have lived there for at least three generations (counting their kiddies). Inside their home are photographs of the "barn" complete with the now-missing shed. The current modern shed was allowed to be built because the old cobb one was beyond repair and it shelters the remainder from the worst of the weather. The kiln is a protected building, and repairs to preserve the remaining portion are carefully "negotiated" with the Historic Places Trust. As usual, it's about who pays how much, but also what is the best way to preserve and/or restore. If anyone want to know more, contact me and I'll introduce you to the Green family. TFTC. #CS#